Independence
by CP1172
Summary: What if the United Republic wasn't the only nation to be created after the end of the 100 Year War? Within is the story of the crew of the North Sea Navy ship Independence, and their struggle for freedom in the months following the return of Sozin's Comet.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, or anything else that may be considered the intellectual property of Michael DiMartino or Bryan Konietzko.**

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Chapter 1

Lieutenant Lee sat at a desk in his cramped stateroom. Strewn across the bland steel surface before him were a dozen reports on as many maintenance projects taking place throughout the ship. None of the repairs could be considered especially urgent, but it was his duty as the First Lieutenant to oversee the material condition of the ship. Although he would never admit it, he hated that aspect of the job. He rubbed his temples in exhaustion as he finished reading over a request for authorization to work on the main boiler before signing it. He melted the wax in a small bowl on his desk with a quick burst of firebending from his palm before stamping the request with the seal found on the ring he always wore.

He rolled the document up with a heavy sigh before placing it with half a dozen others in his outgoing documents box. A yeoman would be by later to pick them up and distribute them back to their originating departments. As he reached for another request, this one from the navigation department, he heard footsteps approaching his doorway. He looked up to see one of the ship's firebenders standing there. A frown threatened to cross his face, but long years of discipline and training kept his expression neutral. Lee had no problem with the man himself. It was the uniform he hated. The skull mask that hid the man's face from view was disconcerting, although he knew that was the exact intent.

"What can I help you with?" he asked.

"First Lieutenant, sir, the captain requests your presence on the bridge," the soldier replied, his voice echoing hollowly behind the metal face mask.

"Very well soldier. I suppose you were sent down to escort me to the bridge?"

"Yes sir."

"All right. Give me a minute."

Lee stood up slowly, several joints popping as he did so. He smoothed the wrinkles out of his uniform as he stepped away from his chair, stopping briefly near the door to look himself over in the mirror. His was young for such a high ranking officer on board a ship, but he still had hair that was starting to grow premature gray streaks. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way, with a pair of blue eyes instead of the usual golden color of Fire Nation citizens.

"Lead on soldier," he said as he stepped through the watertight door that led into his room, closing it behind him. The soldier turned and started walking through the bleak corridor without another word towards him. Lee silently wondered what it could be that the captain needed from him. While he welcomed the break from the tedium of reviewing the maintenance plans, whatever the old man needed couldn't be a good thing. They typically met once a day at their morning meeting, where Lee would give the captain a briefing on the current condition of the ship.

As they made their way through the maze like interior of his ship, Lee took note of all the leaky pipes, fatigued bulkheads, and any other issues with the integrity of the ship. The _Azulon_ had been built almost thirty years before, and was rapidly beginning to show its age. Thanks to the fact that the vessel was maintained by the War Ministry and not the Fire Navy, there wasn't much of a budget to take her to the yards. While the ship's weapon systems and other pieces of experimental technology were perfectly maintained, the rest of the vessel was slowly beginning to come apart, and there was only so much that he could do to keep it in war fighting condition.

After the lengthy climb up the ladder that ran straight up the middle of the command tower, Lee and his talkative escort arrived on the bridge. A dozen sailors stood at various stations, including one man Lee recognized as the ship's navigator. The captain was standing in his customary place, leaning up against the chart table, looking over the course that they had plotted out.

"First Lieutenant's on the Conn," one of the younger sailors shouted out as soon as he noticed Lee's presence.

"Carry on," the captain said, turning around to face his second in command.

"Captain, sir, good afternoon," Lee said, giving the older man before him the Fire Nation salute. The Captain returned the gesture and beckoned for Lee to follow him towards the door that led out onto the observation platform. The wind outside was warm, carrying with it a hint of sulfur that signaled the approach of the home islands. Lee closed the door behind him before turning to join the captain at the rail.

"What do you need, sir?" he asked, unsure of how to proceed otherwise.

"Conversation, Lieutenant," the captain replied, his voice as calm as it always was, "Counsel, if you prefer. The duty of the First Lieutenant has always been to advise their captain on matters pertaining to the safe operation of the ship. While the Navy has certainly strayed away from that in recent years, what with the onset of the glory seeking officers that my late brother seems to have sparked, it has always been so."

Lee nodded in silence. While it wasn't common knowledge, Captain Yuan was the younger brother of the late Admiral Zhao. The two men shared almost nothing in common, however. Where Zhao had been reckless, often leaping before he looked, Yuan was slow and methodical, cautious in his planning and meticulous in his tactical processes.

"Do you know what we left North Island for, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir."

The _Azulon _had left its homeport of North Island, a Fire Nation colony in Earth Kingdom waters but not directly on the mainland itself, on the orders of Fire Lord Zuko himself. As the ranking Fire Navy officer, in charge of the tiny force of outdated ships that protected the waters of the North Sea Islands, Yuan had been called back to the Fire Nation to discuss plans to dismantle the colony and return the citizens to the home islands. The colony itself hadn't been intended to "spread Fire Nation culture to the rest of the world," as popular propaganda had been so fond of stating of the rest of the colonies. Its purpose had been much more secret than that.

Situated in a strange body of water known as the Burning Sea, the six islands in the North Sea chain had been identified by the War Ministry in the time of Fire Lord Sozin as an ideal location to develop and test top secret military projects. The research facility at North Island had been established shortly after the genocide of the Air Nomads, and for nearly a hundred years had cranked out innovations from improved boilers for the Fire Navy cruisers, to the feared tundra tanks, to their most recent projects, the airships and the experimental armament that _Azulon_ carried.

Lee looked down at the main deck of his ship. _Azulon _was an Empire Class battleship, one of the leading ships of the feared class. She had been relegated to control of the War Ministry five years before, to be taken to the North Island complex for retrofitting. All of her trebuchets had been removed, replaced with a variety of experimental weapons for testing. Her most recent configuration was her most fearsome yet. In a neat row on the centerline, three cannons had been installed. Lee had heard of similar weapons being mounted to a select few airships, but the ones on his own vessel were much larger and heavier. War Minister Qin, before his mysterious disappearance after what had become known as the "drill incident," had called the weapons the future of naval armament.

A few crewmen bustled about the weapons now, cleaning them or applying a coat of oil to preserve them as well as they could against the elements. One man was even polishing the ornate golden dragon's head that adorned one of the guns.

"We've been recalled to consult with Fire Lord Zuko about the dismantling of the North Island colony and military research facility," the captain said, pulling Lee back to the situation at hand, "But we also have another reason for going."

"Another reason, sir?"

"Yes. The Five Island Council has given me an important document to deliver to the Fire Lord. It seems that they didn't entrust it to the care of a messenger hawk."

Curiosity momentarily got the best of Lee.

"Do you know what the document contains, sir?"

"I don't, Lieutenant. It's sealed, so I can't exactly find out either. I'm not sure what we've gotten ourselves into here, but my gut is telling me that it can't be a good thing. But that isn't what I've called you up here to talk about."

"It's not?"

Yuan turned to face Lee. The older man's hair was streaked with gray, his face starting to wrinkle in places. His eyes still held a certain brightness, though, a warmth not commonly found amongst Fire Navy officers.

"I've read your file, Lieutenant. You're from the North Island colony, correct?"

"Yes sir. I grew up near the shipyard where they retrofitted the cruisers."

"A strange thing for a colonist to rise to such a high station as an officer."

"Some would say so, yes sir."

As much as he hated it, Lee knew that the captain was speaking the truth. Colonists were considered lesser citizens under the rule of Fire Lord Ozai. While North Island had an officer academy, it was not as widely respected as the Royal Fire Navy academy in the Capital City. Most graduates would go on to serve as non-commissioned officers in the army or serve as officers in the Colony Defense Force, the colony version of the Home Guard. Lee, however, had chosen to go for a career as an officer in the Fire Navy, a course of action that had drawn much ridicule from his instructors at the academy. All his career, he had been told that he wouldn't ever amount to anything as a colonist, that he would never achieve the higher ranks and the command that he wanted so badly.

"I mean you no disrespect, Lieutenant. I have come to admire you over the time you've served under me, more so than I have admired most higher ranking officers that didn't have what most perceive as your disadvantage. I know that you have great potential, and that one day you will make a wonderful commanding officer, and perhaps even a great admiral or commander."

"Thank you, sir."

"I must admit, when I first took over command of this vessel, I didn't understand colonists. I had never understood how you could be so patriotic, but at the same time be so proud of the individual culture that you had established that sets you apart from the citizens of the home islands. Citizens, especially noble born ones, are raised to believe that all colonists are inferior to those who had never lived beyond our borders. I admit with shame that I was once one of those men.

"When my brother was defeated and killed at the North Pole, he brought great shame and dishonor upon my family. Since that time, I have come to see the colony on North Island as more of a home to me than the home islands ever were. Colonists have a simple dignity, an equality brought about by sharing the same struggles and hardships. North Island, I've noticed, doesn't have any clear separation of classes that occurs so often in the Fire Nation."

The Captain trailed off, turning to face towards the sea once again. Lee stood silently by, wondering what the man could possibly be trying to get to.

"Do you love your home, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir. I can't see myself living anywhere other than North Island."

"So would I be correct in assuming that you do not support the Harmony Restoration movement?"

"Yes sir."

"But don't you think it's wrong for Fire Nation citizens to occupy Earth Kingdom lands?"

Lee almost responded, but stopped to think. He had never wondered whether his home was an affront to the world before. He had grown up in the same building as a few Earth Kingdom families and even a family from the Southern Water Tribe. They had all gotten along superbly, despite differing views on the war.

"No sir," he finally said, "Maybe it was at first, but we have all learned to coexist since then."

"You were hesitant to answer, Lieutenant. I understand, it is a hard question to answer if it has never been asked before. But I encourage you, never give up that belief. Many of your brothers and sisters, your fellow colonists, feel the same way. If the rumors I've heard are true, that very spirit just might allow you to keep your home."

The captain turned to face Lee once again.

"Are you busy, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir. I have a ton of requests to review still."

"Ah, the workload of the First. I remember it well from when I was at your level in the Navy. Keep at it, Lieutenant. Some day you'll get away from it, probably sooner than you might think. You're dismissed."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Avatar franchise.**

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Chapter 2

The ship made port at the Fire Navy piers in the Capital City five days later. Lieutenant Lee avoided the mass exodus of personnel flooding off the ship to invade the local taverns by staying in his office to try to catch up on all the paperwork that had flooded his office the night before the ship pulled in. He didn't particularly care about being in the city one way or another. He'd seen plenty of the capital and the rest of the home islands before being assigned to the North Sea fleet.

He was signing another request, this one to work on the steam training mechanism for the number three cannon, when the candle on his desk flickered. He looked up to see none other than Captain Yuan standing in the doorway.

"Captain, sir," he said, standing up as quickly as the cramped space would allow him to. The captain stepped over the threshold of the watertight door, into the tiny cabin that Lee called home.

"You'd think that the Navy would have designed better quarters for the man who's second in command of the ship," the old man said, more to himself than to Lee, "Lieutenant! Get your best clothes on and meet me on the pier."

"May I ask why, sir?"

"Indeed you may. We're going to visit with the Fire Lord."

"Why me, sir?"

"Well, there is no real reason for you to be coming with me. At least in the Fire Lord's eyes there isn't. You will be there as my advisor on the state of affairs in the colony. My 'hearts and minds' expert, so to speak."

"Aye captain."

"Hurry hurry. The Fire Lord does not like to be kept waiting."

With that, Yuan stepped out and walked away. Lee immediately turned to the wardrobe and fished out his best dress uniform. He changed quickly, stopping only at the end to wonder if he should bring his helmet. He decided against it, as he didn't recall seeing whether the captain had his own with him.

The day was hot and muggy, with the sun shining murderously down on them to boot. Lee looked around at the various citizens, each wearing clothing that cut off in various locations, making the attire more comfortable to wear. He cursed every one of them, but cursed the Navy more for the uniform he was forced to wear. Every inch of his body was covered in black or dark red, some of that boiling under metal armor, except for his hands and his head. In a bitter irony, the Burning Sea was actually quite temperate, and it never got so hot on North Island.

The streets near the palace bustled with activity. Citizens shopped at various stalls, picking up various things they needed or thought they needed. A few home guard soldiers noticed the pair of Navy officers walking through, and saluted as they passed. Several more, to Lee's minor irritation, weren't paying enough attention to bother.

_Bunch of complacent fools,_ he thought.

They were greeted at the palace entrance by a pair of Imperial Firebenders. Lee eyed both of them with suspicion, wondering whether these men were the same that had been loyal to Fire Lord Ozai, or new men. Mostly, however, it was just distrust in general. He'd been in several fights with men like them in bars over the years, a couple ending in Agni Kai's.

Inside, they were met by one of the most strangely dressed young women Lee had ever seen. She wore a green kimono, decorated with red and gold in various places. He noticed idly that it was armored. Thrust into a sash at her waist were a pair of golden fans. What stood out the most, however, was the heavy makeup she wore.

"You must be one of the great Kyoshi Warriors that I've heard so much about," Captain Yuan said, offering a salute and a respectful bow.

"Yes sir. My name is Suki, and I'm in charge of the special security team responsible for the safety of the Fire Lord," she said, returning the captain's bow.

"I am Captain Yuan, master of the Fire Navy ship _Azulon_, and commander of the North Sea Islands fleet. This," he gestured to Lee, who bowed and saluted, "is Lieutenant Lee, my First Lieutenant."

"A pleasure to meet you both. If you'll follow me, the Fire Lord is expecting you."

She turned around and began leading the way. As they made their way through the maze of the palace interior, Lee wondered idly why a group of warriors from the Earth Kingdom had been brought in to protect the Fire Lord. Paranoia? Or had the Imperial Firebenders that were held in such high esteem done such a poor job protecting their leader that the work had to be outsourced? Lee smiled at the thought, glad the elitist fools had been brought down a peg or two either way.

The Kyoshi Warrior stopped at a small curtain emblazoned with the Fire Nation symbol. If his limited knowledge was correct, the room they were at wasn't the throne room, which struck him as odd. All the previous Fire Lords had insisted on holding audiences or important war meetings in the cavernous space, separated from those they ruled by a wall of flame.

"The Fire Lord is inside, Captain," she said, pulling the curtain back to allow him entrance.

"Thank you, Suki," Yuan said, stepping through. Lee followed close behind. The two of them entered a small office with a large map of the world affixed to the wall behind a desk. The Fire Lord sat at the desk, a brush poised in one hand over some document that Lee figured would be highly important. He fixed the pair of Navy officers with a stare that seemed angry, but Lee wondered whether it really was. The scar, while to most would have been horrifying, he didn't give a second glance. He'd seen similar wounds throughout his career, often fresh from whoever inflicted them.

Yuan and Lee fell to their knees in unison, bowing respectfully.

"Rise, gentlemen," the boy behind the desk said, his voice sounding remarkably calm, "please have a seat."

Yuan took the chair on the left. Lee sat in the one available to him and looked up at the wall. Various pins had been stuck to various places throughout the world. He quickly found his home, marked by a series of five pins, and stared at them for a while. He could hear the captain making the same introduction that he had made to the Kyoshi Warrior, and decided it was a good time to tune in on the conversation as he reached the end of it.

"Welcome to my palace. I trust the voyage over was uneventful?"

"It was, sir. _Azulon _is starting to near the end of her lifespan, but Lieutenant Lee tells me that she'll hold together for a while longer."

"As you're aware, Captain, I have recalled you here for a purpose. As the senior officer in your theater of operations, you are in command of the North Sea fleet. How many ships do you currently have in operational condition?"

"Twelve, sir. One Empire Class battleship, _Azulon_, and a mix of cruisers and scout ships."

"What time frame do you think you would be able to bring home the Fire Nation colonists and all their relevant equipment by?"

Yuan frowned at the question. Lee could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he thought through the question.

"We're looking at two years, potentially. The colonists are well established, due largely in part to how long the colony has been there, but that isn't my main concern. The North Island research complex will prove to be the most troublesome, sir. Dismantling the retrofitting yard alone will take at least six months, and you also have the logistical problem of transporting the research projects back to the home islands without information getting leaked."

"Yes, I had forgotten about the research facilities. Have operations within them ceased in compliance with my decree?"

"I couldn't tell you, sir. I'm under the jurisdiction of the War Ministry, but I'm not allowed to know what goes on within the walls of the research center."  
_I could tell you, _Lee thought to himself. _Those eggheads haven't stopped working. They're still churning away in there, working on new and better ways to kill ourselves._ He kept silent, however, knowing that his opinion would be asked for when it was desired.

"How are the colonists reacting to the Harmony Restoration Movement, Captain?"

"Sir, I've brought along Lieutenant Lee. He's a colonist himself, and he's better in touch with the situation than I am."

The Fire Lord turned to look at Lee.

"You're a colonist, second in command of a Fire Navy warship?"

"Yes sir," Lee replied, fighting down a surge of anger. To think that a man, banished by his own father, would have the nerve to try to look down on a colonist that had done something successful with his life was almost more than he could handle.

"Yes, I can see it in your eyes. Impressive. My father's reign was filled with injustice, but it's good to know that even amongst all that, there are men in my nation that could rise above it."

Lee's ears began to burn as the anger was replaced with foolishness for having been angry in the first place. He silently hoped that the Fire Lord couldn't see it in the dim light of the candle on his desk.

"So, Lieutenant," the young man continued, "What is your opinion on the Harmony Restoration Movement, and do your fellow colonists share it?"

Lee swallowed. His thoughts on the movement could have been considered treasonous during the previous regime. He wasn't sure, even now, of whether they would still be considered so. He desperately wanted to look to his commander for approval, but knew he couldn't afford a display of weakness like that if he was to convince the Fire Lord of his argument.

"Sir," he began, hesitant, "My personal opinion on the Movement is that I don't agree with it. My colony has been around for a long time, since the time of your grandfather. We've learned to live in harmony with those around us, some from the Earth Kingdom, others from the Water Tribes. While our existence may be an affront to the Earth Kingdom, we do not feel that it is. Further, we don't have any connections with the home islands anymore. Our history, our culture, is with the North Sea Islands now."

Zuko said nothing as Lee finished. His face remained a mask, and Lee wondered what could be going through the young Fire Lord's mind.

"Are you confident that your fellow colonists are of the same opinion?" he asked after a brief moment of silence."

"I am sir. Maybe not all of them, but the vast majority."

"I understand your sentiment, Lieutenant. However, the world is scarred and divided. The other nations hate our nation, as I'm sure you're aware, and the only way to fix that is to make concessions. Captain, the governors of the islands you protect have received my plans detailing the dismantling of their colonies. Ensure that they follow through with them."

"Yes sir."

"Now, they sent word ahead that you had an important document for me?"

"I have it here, sir."

Yuan produced the scroll that had been entrusted to his care from some hidden pocket in his uniform and handed it across the desk to the Fire Lord. Silence engulfed the room as he broke the seal and opened the scroll. Several minutes passed, and with each passing moment Lee grew more nervous. Something nagged at his mind, telling him that anywhere but here was a better place to be.

"Have you read this document, Captain?" the Fire Lord asked. Lee picked up on anger in the young man's tone, confirming his suspicion that the document was bad news.

"No sir. It was sealed when it was given to me."

Zuko nodded and returned his attention to the paper he was reading. Lee chanced a look at the captain, who looked unconcerned at the developing situation. He wished that he could maintain the veneer of calm that the captain had mastered so well.

"What is the meaning of this treason!" the Fire Lord shouted suddenly, the candle on his desk flaring up into a good sized fireball. Lee resisted the urge to flinch from the display.

"Captain, return this document to the governors of your islands. Tell them that they _will_ begin dismantling the colonies or face military intervention. I expect you to be in position to enforce my decree by the end of the month."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: First off, thanks to those who've been reading so far. Hopefully you're enjoying yourselves. If you want, drop me a review letting me know what you think, or if you think I should just burn it down and walk away. Either one works. I don't work on a specific schedule for updates. Whenever I'm finished with an update and like what I have, I'll post it.**

**Wasn't sure about the next one. It's more of a filler chapter to introduce a couple more characters and ideas.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. I still don't own it.**

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Chapter 3

Zuko stood at the edge of the pond, listening to the insistent quack of the turtle ducks. He tore off a few small chunks of bread and tossed them into the water absently. To anyone that looked at him in passing, he would have appeared calm, simply taking a few moments out of his day to enjoy the peace that the palace gardens provided. His mind, however, was as far from being relaxed as he could ever have imagined it being.

A dozen concerns buzzed around inside his head like angry buzzard wasps. The Harmony Restoration Movement. The strife brewing in Yu Dao. Unrest among those in his country that remained loyal to his father and Azula. Azula herself. But his mind kept returning to one thing.  
Captain Yuan had departed a few hours before, full of grace and dignity despite Zuko's threats. The Fire Lord couldn't blame the men for coming to see him, though. They had followed orders faithfully.

_No_, he thought, _I have to blame the men that sent them in the first place._

The governors of the North Sea Island colonies, a group of men that called themselves the Five Island Council if his intelligence was good, had written a petition to him. Their request had been a simple one; let the colonies remain. They weren't on the Earth Kingdom mainland, therefore they couldn't be an affront to the citizens. He had to admit, the reasoning was sound. The region of the world hadn't been occupied when the colony had first been established, except for a small tribe of castaways on one of the islands in the chain.

The petition itself wasn't the most infuriating part. That had been the ultimatum the fools had so brazenly given. Even now, having only read the document once, he could remember the wording of it perfectly.

The North Sea Island colonies have no valid reason to return to the Fire Nation. As such, if this petition is not granted, the colonies will declare themselves independent of the Fire Nation and all other nations, to establish their own form of government and laws.

The audacity of the move was amazing. Zuko had read up on the military strength posted in the islands. Apart from the fleet of Fire Navy relics kept there for weapons testing by the War Ministry, the only military presence the islands had was a group of volunteer colonists known as the Colony Defense Force. They were a rough equivalent of the home guard, more non benders than firebenders. The army would roll right over them.

He paused, wondering about what edge they might possess. A few airships he didn't know about? His own air power had been decimated at the end of the war, and as of yet hadn't been restored. He also knew that they had access to whatever the war ministry had hatched at the research complex. The nature of the facility was so secret, even he didn't know what they were working on.

He sighed, tossing another chunk of bread to the turtle ducks. With most of the remaining Navy already tied up in the Harmony Restoration Movement, he didn't have the manpower to put down a rebellion. He would have to trust that Yuan's fleet would be able to handle the job. He made a mental note to request the man's service record from the Navy to see if he could be counted on.

"Hey," a voice said from behind him. Zuko turned to see Suki standing behind him.

"Hey," he replied.

"Are you ok? I don't think I've ever seen someone upset you like those Navy officers did."

"It wasn't them. I might have a rebellion brewing in another colony, and my manpower is stretched too far."

"Isn't Captain Yuan responsible for the forces in that area?"

"He is. What concerns me is that most of the ships under his command are old and worn down. Considering the fact that North Island is a weapons development facility, I don't think that they would survive against any new technology the governors might be able to field against them."

"Well, do you have any forces you could spare to help shore up his?"

Zuko thought for a moment, struggling to remember all the details of his military's current deployments. Apart from a token force guarding the home islands, his entire navy was tied up either in assisting colonies in dismantling or providing aid to the other nations. He had maybe twenty ships overall that could be spared to deal with the North Sea Island problem.

"I do, but not a lot."

"Pick an officer that you trust to command that force separately from the ones Captain Yuan is in charge of, on the off chance that he goes native on you. That way, you'll still have the numerical advantage if things don't go the way you think they will."

Zuko nodded slowly. The plan was sound, even if he didn't like the idea of having to send his men to fight against their own brothers and sisters.

"I'll draft an order to the fleet tomorrow morning."

"Good. But for today, Mai sent me to find you."

* * *

_"Load!"_

Veins stood out on the arms and necks of the two loaders as they hefted a heavy practice round out of the ready cradle just in front of the number two gun. They stepped in perfect unison towards the gun, hefting the round up to the muzzle. A third man, armed with a thick steel ramrod, stepped up to the end of the round. He lifted the heavy metal rod to the bomb and shoved it down into the muzzle. When the operation was complete, the trio stepped away from the muzzle and covered their ears.

_"Confirm target!" _the gun chief shouted, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets.

"Gun is on target and ready!" shouted the sailor sitting at the controls for the training mechanism.

_"Launch!"_

The crew's firebender stepped up to the rear of the gun and fired a combustive blast into the firing port. The resulting explosion forced the practice round out of the barrel amongst a cloud of smoke and flame, sending it crashing into the waves a few hundred feet to starboard, away from the pier that the ship was sitting at.

_"Swab!"_

Seaman Kuruk took his cue, stepping forward and bending water out of an open cask towards the gun. He narrowed it into a stream, forcing it down the still red hot muzzle of the gun. The steel hissed, sending tendrils of steam curling up into the air as he bent the water down, making sure it hit every inch of the bore. Once he felt it hit the end, he drew the water back out and down into the cask.

"Barrel swabbed!" he shouted, stepping back to his original position. The gun chief popped his neck and got up off of his stool, checking a watch as he went.

"Good work ladies," he said, his voice scratchy from all the shouting he'd been doing all day, "with any luck, you'll be able to load and fire that gun before an enemy ship puts us on the bottom."

"Aw, come on chief," the gun trainer said, standing up from his uncomfortable seat at the controls, "even with water boy here we're the best crew on the boat."

"Water boy, huh?" Kuruk said with a smile.

"Don't listen to him, Kuruk," one of the loaders said as he rolled his shoulders, stretching out from the day of strenuous activity, "he's just trying to take our minds off of his last sleepwalking expedition to the galley."

The entire crew laughed at that one as the trainer's ears turned red.

"All right, girls, I suppose you've earned your rest for the day. Get this gun properly stowed and get on liberty before the skipper changes his mind about letting you sorry fools destroy the city."

The gunners cheered at the chief's orders and immediately began the process of stowing the gun. The trainer hopped back on the controls and began working them. The training mechanism hissed loudly as steam provided by the ship's boilers turned the platform number two rested on back to its neutral position; barrel facing forward parallel with the centerline. Two of the loaders closed up the open hatch to the magazine while the third put away his ramrod.

After he topped it off, Kuruk slammed the lid back down onto his water cask. He stored the barrel in its proper place, directly below the trainer's seat, before deciding to take a moment to catch his breath. The rest of the gun crew, once they finished with their chores, tore off like children just let out of school for the summer, headed for the berthing spaces. Kuruk shook his head, wondering just how many of them would have to be carried back to the ship after their night of debauchery in the capital city.

As soon as everyone was gone, Kuruk saw two men coming up the brow. Anyone on the ship could have identified them as the captain and the First Lieutenant. The skipper broke away as soon as his boots hit the deck plates, headed for the command tower on what Kuruk could only assume would be official captain's business. The First, however, seemed to see him and started walking over.

_Oh great,_ Kuruk thought to himself as he stood up and tried to make himself presentable, _first we drill all day on the day we pull into port and now the First wants something with me._

"Good afternoon, sir," he said, sending a salute the officer's way as he approached.

"Good afternoon, sailor," the First replied, paying more attention to the gun than to the man standing in front of him, "I take it you're done working on number two?"

"I'm honestly not sure, sir. I'm not on the maintenance crew."

"Then what-" the First started to ask, then stopped short as he looked at the young sailor. Realization seemed to dawn in the older man's eyes after a few moments.

"Ah, yes, I remember you now. You're Kuruk, our waterbending gunner, aren't you?"

"Yes sir."

Kuruk had been a prisoner in the North Island facility near the end of the war. He had part of a Water Tribe raiding party that had been captured, ensuring that he wouldn't be transferred to a normal Fire Nation prison to maintain the secrecy of the North Island complex. After the war ended, rather than return home to the Northern Water Tribe, he had chosen to remain in the colony and enlisted in the Colony Defense Force. Most of his fellow tribesmen had ridiculed him for the decision, accusing him of going native, but in his heart he knew he had made the right choice.

"How's the transfer program treating you?"

The CDF had recently ordered a series of small, fast ships known as gunboats. The tiny vessels were surprisingly powerful, but the problem was that there weren't enough trained gunners to be able to fully man all of the new vessels. Captain Yuan had created the Transfer Training Program, an opportunity intended for CDF sailors to gain practical experience working with the guns so that they could return to their service and train their fellow gunners. Kuruk was the only waterbender to be able to take the opportunity.

"Great, sir. I didn't think that people from the Navy would be so willing to accept me at first, but they've done nothing but exceed my expectations since day one."

The First looked at him for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Tell me, do you think you're at a disadvantage?"

"I don't follow, sir."

"Gun crews are formed primarily of firebenders. I highly doubt that you've failed to notice that. The reason we organized the crews like that was so that in case the man responsible for actually firing the gun was lost in battle, another man on the crew would be immediately available to take his place. While we don't deny that having a waterbender on the gun crew has made the operation much more efficient and safe, your skill set is rather limited when you consider that you can't take over in case your firing man falls."

Kuruk's face fell as he thought about it. Being the man on the trigger, so to speak, was the one thing he wanted to be able to do as a gunner, but he knew in his heart that he would never be able to do it with the guns configured as they currently were. The First seemed to pick up on his disappointment, and continued speaking.

"You want to be the firing man, don't you?"

Kuruk could only nod in response.

"Well, don't let your hopes down just yet. I'm sure that the technology will catch up to you in due time. After all, I never would have thought I'd ever see weapons with this much destructive capability when I first joined the Navy."

The officer ran a hand over the cold steel of the gun absently as he finished the sentence. Something appeared to have crossed his mind, but Kuruk didn't say anything to him. In truth, he didn't know what he _could_ say to him.

"Well," the First said after a few awkward seconds, "I won't hold you up any more. Go get some liberty in, sailor. We aren't going to be here for too much longer, and I don't know when the next time you'll be able to see this port will be."

With that the First walked away, leaving Kuruk alone at the gun mount.

_When the next time I see this port will be? Why did it sound like he was really saying he doesn't know if I'll ever see this port again?_

He shrugged to no one, deciding to leave the question unanswered for the time being. After giving the gun one last looking over, he hurried off toward the aft end of the ship to get changed into a fresh uniform for liberty.


	4. Chapter 4

**OhioGuy: Glad you're enjoying it. Haven't really gotten too into the constitution planning yet, but I do have something in mind. I actually attempted to introduce government in this chapter. The governors are appointed when this chapter happens, but eventually they will become elected leaders. Glad you're enjoying it so far.**

**Disclaimer: Shockingly enough, I still don't own any of it.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Two weeks had passed since they were basically thrown out of the royal palace. _Azulon_ had made record time getting back to North Island, pulling back into her berth late the night before.  
Lee and Yuan stood in the main lobby of the North Island governor's office. The Five Island council had called a meeting, and they had been requested to attend. He wondered what they would have to say.

Both he and the captain had read the message to the Fire Lord. They had been shocked at the boldness of the words, and Lee was concerned now. If the council was serious, he knew that his ship and his crew were about to be caught up in a conflict between the Fire Nation and his home.

A door opened behind them, and Lee heard someone clear their throat. They seemed nervous, as if they too were beginning to understand the gravity of the shifting winds.

"Captain Yuan and Lieutenant Lee," the young man, a steward if Lee remembered correctly, said, "the council is ready for you."

The two officers turned in unison and walked through the double doors, into the council's meeting room. It was spacious, yet simply constructed. The floors were marble, cut from a quarry on Gold Island. In the center was a large circular table made of a beautiful black wood, polished so it almost seemed to shine. A map of the North Sea Islands was painted in a large square of blue in the center.

Lee looked around the table, silently ticking off the people that he recognized. Directly across from the door sat the governor of North Island, Nishi. She had inherited the role from her father after his death a few years before, but was doing a remarkable job so far.

To her left sat the governor of Gold Island, the lush land to the southwest that was responsible for most of the food production for the colonies. Known for extravagant living and beautiful women, even during the war, it was no surprise to see that the man had grown fat with indulgence.

On the other side of him was a man that looked to be his polar opposite. Governor Jian, overseer of Black Rock Island, was a hard and thin man. His island possessed several coal mines, and served as a testing ground for army technology.

To the right of Nishi sat governor Qiao, the leader of Blackwood Island. The ambitious young woman had a lot on her plate, as Blackwood was known to have the most crime out of any of the islands.

Finally, to Qiao's right, the governor of the Rift sat. The wild looking man was a perfect match to the rough, untamed wild of the northern most island in the chain. The only waterbender on the council, Mako wasn't known for being a very talkative man.

"Greetings Captain Yuan," Nishi said, rising from her seat, "and greetings to you Lieutenant Lee. Please, come and have a seat with us."

Yuan and Lee took their seats opposite from Nishi. As soon as she saw that they were as comfortable as they could be on the hard marble floor, she began addressing the room.

"Now that our esteemed representatives from the Navy have arrived, let's get down to business."

Esteemed representatives from the Navy, Lee thought to himself, when did we suddenly have a say in how these colonies were run?

"As you all know, about a month ago we sent Captain Yuan to the Fire Lord with a message. Since that time, you all have seen the executive order, stating that an additional twenty ships have been pledged to the support of the Captain, for the purpose of enforcing our removal from our homes."

Everyone nodded in silence. Lee knew the real purpose behind the Navy's thinking. It was insurance, in case Yuan decided to back the islands.

"I have spoken with the men in charge of the research complex. They have cast their lot with us, meaning we have the technological prowess of the War Ministry on our side."

"With all due respect," Jian spoke up, "technology alone isn't going to be enough. We're talking about rebelling against the Fire Lord here."

"I agree," Qiao said, "the Defense Force alone isn't going to be enough to stand against the full fury of the Fire Nation military."

Yuan cleared his throat.

"If I may?" he said. Nishi nodded in response.

"Of course, Captain."

"Thank you, ma'am. The Fire Lord's resources are stretched way too thin by the Harmony Restoration Movement. The twenty ships he's sending my way represent the majority of the remaining vessels necessary to protect the home islands. Were it not for the current situation, we would have an entire fleet to contend with."

_We?_

"I notice that you said 'we' in there, Captain," Jian said, raising an eyebrow, "are you saying you're willing to back us?"

"My fleet's duty is to defend the North Island research complex from external threats, as well as protecting the colonies from invaders."

Lee was stunned speechless. He looked over at Yuan, hoping to see some hint of a joke in the older man's eyes. He was disappointed to see that Yuan looked more serious than he ever had. The rest of the room seemed to be in a similar state of disbelief.

"Well," Nishi finally said, seemingly hesitant to speak, "I can honestly say that none of us were really expecting you to get on board so easily. How many of the men and women under your command are going to share your willingness, Captain?"

Yuan looked over at Lee for a moment, staring at him as if trying to read his mind.

"I don't know for sure," he said, "Lieutenant, how do you think the sailors will react to being asked to join in this rebellion?"

Lee felt the attention of the entire meeting shift onto him. For the second time in two weeks, he'd been put in the spotlight in front of very important people.

"Sir," he said, nodding to the captain, "ma'am. In my opinion, you can count on the majority of the colonists joining up with your plan. Everyone I've spoken to about it has no desire to go back to the home islands, but I'm sure there will be some that don't want to betray the Fire Lord. The problem will be anyone from the home islands. They're going to be the ones that don't have a stake in the fight, and won't want to try to fight for the freedom of the islands."

"Could any of them be swayed to our side?" Qiao asked. As he thought about it, Lee became uncomfortably aware of how intently the young governor had been watching him for the past several minutes.

"A few probably could. They're going to be the ones that have become disillusioned with the rule of the Royal Family. Most of them, however, are so heavily indoctrinated that they won't even think to step away from their duties."

"Could they be convinced that their duty is to _you?_"

"I think what Qiao is trying to say," the governor of the Rift said, his voice so soft that it was almost a whisper, "is would it be possible to convince the sailors under your command that their duty is to the ship they serve on, to the brothers and sisters that they serve with, over some national idea, some royalty that they most likely have never even seen for themselves. Royalty that doesn't even know they exist."

"A hearts and minds campaign," Yuan said, more to himself than anyone else.

"With some work," Lee continued, realization beginning to dawn on him, "I'm sure that we would be able to convince several to join our cause. But there are still going to be men and women that, no matter what, aren't going to throw in with us."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Nishi said with a respectful nod, "I propose that we adjourn for a week, so that the Captain and Lieutenant can get a feel for where their men stand on this matter. Meanwhile, I urge each of you to return to your islands and start probing your citizens as well, to see how many of them are willing to separate from the Fire Nation to keep their homes. In one week's time, we will meet again to finalize our future."

* * *

Lee waited until he was back out in the lobby with the captain to speak up.

"With all due respect, sir," he said, throwing as much anger into his voice as he thought would be appropriate when addressing his commander, "are you out of your mind?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Lieutenant," Yuan replied, turning to face him.

"You just pledged the betrayal of your men. You're counting on them agreeing to something that has never been done before."

"The men will do what their hearts feel is right, Lieutenant."

"And how do we know that this rebellion is what's right?"

"We don't. _I _don't. However, Lieutenant, what I do know is that men, women, and children are being removed from their homes all over the world. They're being pulled out of the lives that they've created to be sent back to a land that, for some reason or another, they left voluntarily in the first place. And why is that, Lieutenant? Because two people that wear crowns decided it would be a good idea. Because a twelve year old kid with an arrow on his head wants it to be that way.

"People fighting to keep their homes, the lives that they've created for themselves and are happy to be living? Doesn't sound like it could be any more of the right thing to do than it already is, Lieutenant. Besides, I have a feeling that you've already made your choice."

Lee looked away, ears beginning to burn with shame. Yuan was right. He'd made his choice the second it had been put before him.

"Now, Lieutenant, I know you think this is going to be hard. But you're a man born of hard circumstances. You've fought to establish your position in this world, and you've fought to keep it. Now, your home, _your islands_, are calling you to establish their position, to fight to keep them. The road isn't going to be easy, but you've never chosen to walk the easy road in your life. You were born for the hard road."

"Yes sir."

"We have a lot of work ahead of us Lieutenant. Two weeks to get the men's minds right for rebellion."

Yuan looked over Lee's shoulder and smiled slightly.

"But, it looks like you have company. I'll be in my quarters on the ship, Lieutenant. We can continue this discussion later, if you would like."

Yuan turned around and walked away. Lee's hands started to hurt, and he realized that they'd been clenched into fists the entire time he'd been talking to the captain. He shook them out before turning around to see who the captain had been talking about.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything," governor Qiao said with a smile, "I know how you military types can get."

"Governor Qiao," Lee said, saluting and bowing. She waved the gesture off.

"Please, just call me Qiao. Listen, Lieutenant Lee, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"May I call you Lee?"

"If you prefer."

She laughed. The sound was much more pleasing than it should have been, and for a brief moment Lee allowed the wall that separated pleasure from work, the wall that maintained his professionalism, to fall. The young woman standing before him was beautiful. Her black hair shone in the light of the lobby, the light seeming to accent the shining pair of golden eyes she had perfectly. Although her smile was shy, he still noticed that it must come out a lot more often than he thought.

"Stop being so stiff and formal, Lee," she said, lightly touching his shoulder, "I understand that the Navy makes you do it, but still. Lighten up. Look, I have a ferry waiting down at the docks to take me back to my island. Would you do me the honor of escorting me there?"

Lee nodded and even allowed himself to smile.

"It would be my pleasure, ma'am."

* * *

The day outside was bright and sunny, but nowhere near as brutal as the days in the home islands had been. Lee breathed in the afternoon air, his nose picking out the variety of scents that he'd been smelling all his life. Burning coal from the shipyards, smells of fish, fresh fruit, and burning amber leaves from the market close by, and the ever present tang of salt in the air drifting in from the ocean.

He looked over at the beautiful young woman that was accompanying him, and wondered for a second what he was doing. Everything about Qiao had the look of Fire Nation nobility, while he was just a colonist that had risen far above his station in life. The only way that she could have been any farther beyond his league was if she was the Fire Lord's sister.

"So, where are you from Lee?" she asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Here on North Island, actually. I grew up near the shipyard."

"Really? What a life this must have been."

"What do you mean?"

"I grew up in Fire Fountain City. My parents were rich, I got everything I wanted. You know, the works with us nobles."

"Sounds like you must have had a much better life than I did."

"Depends on your definition of better. Everything was so _boring._ I wanted to know what it was like to have to struggle for everything. To have to fight to survive."

"Well, I've done plenty of that. My father was a metalworker over at the shipyard, while my mother served in the CDF. She was killed repelling an Earth Kingdom raid. Dad died a few months later in an accident at the shipyard."

Qiao laid her hand on his arm, looking at him with a mix of pity and sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No need to be. The wounds of their passing have long since healed. I grew up an orphan, but rather than letting my life fall apart like most of the others I knew, I decided to do something with it."

"That's very admirable. If only everyone on my island had the same mindset as you. Oh! We're coming up on the docks now. Hold on a second."

The two of them stopped, and Lee turned to face his companion. She straightened up her appearance before smiling at Lee.

"Tell me, Lieutenant, would you be willing to do a pretty young woman a favor?"

Lee nodded, inwardly wondering what she was up to.

"Good. Unfortunately my personal ferry was damaged in a recent storm, and is still undergoing repairs. A rich merchant from my island offered to give me a ride over here, and I had no choice but to accept. The problem is that he's one of those annoying suitors that seems to think that all I am is a pretty face and a ticket to higher ambitions."

"So where do I come in?"

"Simple. You're going to be the handsome, intrepid young naval officer that doubles as my current love interest. You up for it?"

"I don't know-"

"Oh, come on. Surely the great Lieutenant Lee isn't too scared to take a governor by the arm just to make her suitor angry?"

"Are you listening to what you're saying?"

Qiao laughed again, and Lee sighed. As much as he didn't want to draw the ire of some rich man who was very likely a criminal, he couldn't say no to her.

"All right. Let's do it."

She smiled and almost immediately thrust her arm through his. They rounded the corner together and started walking towards a small cargo ferry.

"Now," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder slightly to make herself more easily heard, "when we get closer, act like you're telling me some funny war story."

Lee thought hard for a moment, settling for the time on one of his earlier cruises when his ship had engaged a small squadron of Earth Kingdom ships in the waters near Ba Sing Se. As they approached the ramp he was telling her about how they had attacked just before daybreak, throwing the Earth Kingdom captains into such confusion that one had come up on deck in his underwear, shouting orders to his crew until another one of the vessels ran into his own, casting him overboard. Qiao laughed the entire time, so convincingly that he wondered whether she thought the tale was genuinely funny.

A big man was standing out on the deck when they stopped. He didn't look at all pleased, and Lee had to wonder whether this was the wealthy merchant that she had been referring to.

"Thank you Lieutenant," she said, a bit louder than was really necessary, "for being such a gentleman and escorting me back here. I'll be sure to write you as soon as I can."

She mouthed a quick _thank you_ to him before turning away and beginning the climb up the ramp to the ferry. He watched her as she went, stopping only to return the heavy scowl that the merchant sent his way. The other man was much larger and more intimidating, but years of war and training made sure that Lee wasn't the first to look away.

As soon as the two were out of sight, Lee turned and began the long walk back to the Fire Navy piers by himself, smiling the entire way home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews, and I hope that everyone reading is enjoying themselves.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own any of it.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Lee stood at the brow of the ship, standing by to welcome the other ship captains aboard. Captain Yuan had called a meeting of every commanding officer in his little ragtag fleet, to see which of them would be on board with the plot for revolution. The night before, they'd had a similar meeting with all the senior enlisted personnel onboard _Azulon_. To his surprise, they had backed Yuan to the man, colonist and native alike. While the captains met aboard the fleet's leading ship, the chiefs from all the ships would be meeting in one of the larger taverns on the waterfront.

Lee looked down at the pier and saw that the last captain was approaching. Someone on deck began shouting, and he reflexively turned to see what was going on. A deck seaman was so busy swabbing that he had failed to notice an approaching chief, and had wound up elbowing the man. The young man was being shown the error of his ways now, in the form of push-ups to an erratic cadence. The stomping of boots at the top of the brow called his attention back to the task at hand, and he turned to greet the last arrival.

"Welcome aboard the _Azulon_ cap-"

He was stopped short by the realization that the young woman in front of him wasn't the captain of the _Tempest_.

"Good afternoon, sir," she said, nervousness oozing out of every word she spoke, "I'm Lieutenant Rikke, Fire Navy ship _Tempest._ Captain Hahn and the First Lieutenant had an emergency come up, so they sent me in their place."

Calm down, Lee thought, wondering idly if her heart would just stop from all the stress.

"That's all right. I'm First Lieutenant Lee. Welcome aboard. If you'll follow me, we'll be meeting in the wardroom."

He began leading the way towards the command tower.

"So this is an Empire Class, huh?" She said. He could hear the wonder in her voice.

"That's right," he replied.

"So big."

"You've never been on an Empire before?"

"No. Are you kidding me? I spent my career on ships just like the _Tempest_."

Lee racked his brain, trying hard to remember details about the ship. _Tempest_ was a scout ship, if memory served him correctly. The Fire Nation had stopped building them roughly twenty years before, and since then they had been back seated by the larger cruisers, doomed to roles like harbor security, ferrying banished princes, or defending colonies.

"Well, if it helps, I've never been on a ship that small. What's it like?"

The young woman was silent for a moment. He was about to repeat the question when she answered him.

"Tight knit, I guess you could say. On a crew so small, everyone knows everyone else. It's hard to keep secrets, that's for sure."

They wound through the maze of passageways leading down to the wardroom just like that. Rikke would tell stories about life on the smaller ship, while Lee countered with his own tales of life onboard the _Azulon_ and other large ships he'd served on. They eventually came to the wardroom, where the captains were all seated around the long central table, Yuan at its head.

"Lieutenant," he said with a nod, "I assume that this is our last guest?"

"Yes sir. This is Lieutenant Rikke, from the _Tempest_. The captain sends his regards, but has an emergency that he couldn't leave behind."

"Very well. Take a seat Lieutenant. We're about to get started."

Lieutenant Rikke took the last open seat at the table while Lee made his way around to the front of the room. He could almost feel the hostility of the captains towards the junior officer and himself. _Did these guys forget that they stood where we stand once?_

"Welcome aboard everyone," Yuan said as Lee took a seat away from the table, "it's been quite a while since we were all gathered together. Too long in my opinion.

"We face changing times. Troubling times. We are the sons and daughters of a century long war, officers bred and seasoned by battle. Peace approaches from without, but war still threatens to rage on from within.

"We are at a crossroads. The Fire Lord is demanding that we uproot the lives and legacies of generations. The Five Islands Council is going to rebel, make no mistake. They have delivered their ultimatum to the Royal Family, the conditions of which will not be met.

"We must choose, gentlemen, which call to arms we must answer. We are duty bound to protect the Fire Nation, and carry out the Fire Lord's will. However, we are also duty bound to defend these colonies from all invaders, all who would seek their destruction. Gentlemen, we must choose whether to rebel against the Fire Nation."

The room went from a model of tranquility to a scene of chaos in less time than it took Lee to blink. Almost immediately, the captains against it began speaking out. A split second later, the captains for it rose up with a noticeably louder voice. One man argued that they had a sacred duty to the Fire Lord, and that they were all honor bound to follow it. A man across the table from him countered with them having the same duty to the colonists, which was more important since they couldn't defend themselves. Lee smiled when he saw that that remark made a few of them change their minds.

Amidst the madness, Captain Yuan sat calmly observing the situation. When he felt that the discussions had run their course, he stood up.

Rather than trying to shout over the cacophony of voices, he opted to send a short burst of fire down the middle of the table. It petered out before it reached the other end, but got everyone's attention nonetheless. As the room quieted down, Yuan began to speak again.

"Now, I know that some of you might be unwilling to go against the Fire Lord. If so, make yourself known now. Know also that you will be making yourself and your crew my enemy, and the enemy of all present at this table that don't speak up."

To Lee's surprise, there wasn't so much as a cough from around the room. Yuan smiled.

"If you're with me, I need you with me a hundred percent. I have you, and I have your ships. The chiefs are meeting now, and soon enough we'll be able to find out if we have our crews. But for now, we have to make plans."

* * *

As the captains of the North Sea fleet were meeting, another meeting was being held far to the west, in a Navy building close to the Royal Palace.

In a dimly lit room adorned with maps and charts of the North Sea Islands and the Burning Sea, Commander Long was seated around a desk with the captain of his fleet's flagship and a trusted aide.

"Tell me about the colony defenses," Long said, rubbing his eyes. They'd been at it for hours, but with the Fire Lord's deadline approaching they couldn't afford to stop. He would brief Zuko on their plan of action the following morning.

"Well sir," the aide said as he flipped through intelligence reports, "the colonies are defended by the Colony Defense Force, or the CDF. Each island has its own branch, separate from the others. The governor of said island is essentially the commander in chief of that unit."

"What kind of training and equipment are we looking at?"

More rustling of paper.

"The colonists themselves are fairly well trained, about on par with a recruit division after a few battles. Their uniforms could be considered improved versions of our own, designed by the brains at the research facility. The armor is a new alloy, stronger and slightly lighter than current uniforms. Their weapons are made of a unique steel that only they've succeeded in producing so far. It's more durable and holds a superior edge, as well as resisting rust.

"What sets them apart the most is a fairly new innovation known as the gunboat."

Long frowned. He wasn't aware of anything that went by that name.

"What's a gunboat?"

"It's a small ship that they build on each island. They have a crew of no more than fifteen, as few as nine. It mounts a single naval gun. They're hard to hit because of their small size, and powerful. Dangerous little targets."

Long rubbed his chin. He knew that bringing the islands back under control if they came to open revolt would be no small task. Each island would have to be conquered by itself, and held after it was captured. With only twenty ships at his direct disposal, it wouldn't be easy. Then there was the matter of the theater.

To men like Captain Yuan or the colonists serving under him, the Burning Sea was familiar; a challenge to be welcomed and embraced. To everyone else, it was a hellish nightmare to fight in. Pools of a strange black liquid pooled on the surface of the ocean, coming from somewhere on the ocean floor. Most of the time, the liquid was relatively harmless. It coated everything, killing wildlife but not too much else. However, in several places, the sinister nature of the liquid had been revealed, either by lightning strike or careless firebending.

The liquid was extremely flammable by nature, burning almost indefinitely once ignited. Throwing water on the fire seemed to only agitate it further, and it resisted being extinguished even by trained firebenders. Floating patches would often drift together, forming massive burn zones. Veritable seas of flame on the ocean. Even when the fire was small, huge clouds of oily black smoke were cast into the air, suffocating men and making navigation nearly impossible. Anyone with knowledge of the waters would choose them for battle when faced by an opponent that didn't know them.

That thought gave him pause.

"Tell me, what resources does Captain Yuan's fleet have?"

"Sir, we don't know whether Yuan will back the rebels or us yet."

"Therefore, it is prudent to plan for him being our enemy now."

The aide nodded in understanding, setting down his notes. It either meant he'd been briefed, or intel wasn't good.

"Out of the twelve ships Yuan has under his command, five are scout ships. Lightly armed, lightly crewed. Out of those five, only one has been retrofitted."

"What was the retrofit?"

"Thicker armor plating. No one outside the research facility knows why. We think it was to be used as a target ship for naval gun testing."

"Very well. What else?"

"Six cruisers, none newer than fifteen years old. Two of them retrofitted with naval guns, both still in the yards. And that leaves the _Azulon_."

_Ah yes_, Long thought, _the dreaded _Azulon.

"Azulon is an Empire Class ship. She's been retrofitted several times in the past few years. Thicker armor, improved boilers, and what she is the most well known for. The three guns on the main deck."

Long rubbed his chin again. He knew that if it came down to fighting Yuan, the _Azulon_ would be their greatest threat. Realistically, he could expect to lose several ships to her.

"Our task," he said, looking each man in the eye, "is to find a weakness in the _Azulon_. One chink in her armor. We find a way to defeat her, we find a way to defeat Yuan's fleet."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Haven't ever.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Lieutenant Lee walked slowly along the gun deck, savoring the midnight air of the Navy Piers. It was the third night in a row of planning amongst Captain Yuan and his fleet captains, but the room had grown so stuffy that he had excused himself from the gathering. In truth, he didn't think he belonged in there anyway.

_Let the old men bluster at each other all night. I'll stick to running my ship._

He didn't know what to do with himself, though. Captain Yuan had lightened his load by creating a new position on the ship. The maintenance officer had taken over the work requests immediately, leaving Lee free to focus on things like tactical planning and preparing the men for war.

He stopped near the number two gun, running a hand over the ornamental dragon head that shrouded most of the barrel. Pointless ornamentation. He had never understood why the Fire Nation insisted on decorating important military things with extravagant gold carvings. All it served to do was make them a target. The removal of unnecessary decorations from the exteriors of all warships in the fleet was one of the first recommendations he'd made to the captain. The old man had said it bore consideration.

With a sigh, he turned away from the gun and walked over to the rail. His hand drifted to a small piece of paper, rolled up and tucked neatly away in a pocket. The communications officer had delivered it just before the meeting with the captains. He'd been able to open it when they launched into one of their rounds of debates, and had been forced to try harder than he ever had before to hide a smile. The letter had come from Governor Qiao. He'd only had time to read it once, but had almost committed it to memory.

_Lee,  
Thank you for being such a good sport by escorting me back to the ship. You wouldn't believe how much it irked my annoying suitor! Repairs on my ferry will be complete in a couple of days, and I will be returning to North Island a couple days before the council reconvenes. I hope that you would be willing to do me the honor of escorting me to dinner, and maybe showing me your ship afterward? Until then.  
Yours, Qiao._

The parchment had been sprayed lightly with her perfume, reminding him of letters that some of the men had received from their wives during deployments. He took out the scroll and held it under his nose. The light scent of lavender and another flower native to her island, one whose name he'd forgotten, drifted up to his senses. For a moment, it felt as if she was standing next to him again, plotting how to irritate someone she didn't really care for.

He shook his head, scolding himself. He was acting like he was in school, experiencing his first crush all over again. Somewhere behind him he thought he heard a scuff on the deck plates, but didn't think anything of it.

* * *

Kuruk had chosen to take a walk at the same time as Lee. He'd seen the First walking, and had debated whether to greet him or not. He'd gone with not, hanging back in the shadows and choosing to watch the other man instead.

_Lieutenant's in love_, he realized as he watched the man pull out a scroll and smell it. His mind drifted at that point, coming to rest on a girl he'd courted in the Northern Tribe once. He wondered if she had ever married, or if she had waited around for him to return from war. A pang of guilt struck him. He'd never once considered that she could have be waiting for him even now, wondering when he would return home.

Movement caught his eye, and his body and mind stopped. It was a natural reaction, mostly, tempered by years of hunting and fighting in the arctic snow. In the dark, he could just make out two men making their way around the gun, seemingly headed towards the First. Something about them seemed off. Slowly, Kuruk reached out to the nearest source of water he could find, which happened to be the gun swabbing water, improperly stowed by the crew of that mount.  
One of the men had something in his hand. Kuruk strained his eyes to see what it was, but came up with nothing. Then, the man moved it. Starlight glinted along a thin strip. Realization dawned.

"Behind you, sir!" Kuruk shouted, streaming the water out of the open cask.

The man closer to the lieutenant decided to commit to his attack, swinging his blade in a slash that would have taken the man's head off. But the Lieutenant moved faster than his would be assassin. He ducked down, kicking his leg and a subsequent stream of fire out in a viscous arc. Kuruk admired the move before realizing that the second man had turned to him and was advancing. He couldn't make out faces in the dim light, but he could see the man's sword. It was a cutlass, one of the curved short swords that the North Sea Fleet tended to favor. The steel of the blade was flat gray, trademark of any North Sea blacksmith, and would hold a razor's edge.

With that in mind, Kuruk readied himself. The man advanced slowly, practically screaming inexperience, and gave him plenty of time to whip the water around and lash it across the other man's face. He shouted in pain, then advanced.

* * *

Everything had gone crazy in a few seconds. One minute, Lee was smelling a letter from Qiao. The next, some renegade crewman was swinging a sword at him.

It felt as if they were dancing now. Trained for close in combat against an armed opponent, Lee actually enjoyed fighting this close to someone that was trying to kill him. He dodged a thrust, responding with an upward slash of a fire dagger that his opponent barely avoided. A swipe aimed at his chest almost connected, but so did the short burst of fire aimed at the swordsman's feet. The swordsman staggered back, and Lee chose that moment to strike out. He slashed across the man's face, and was rewarded by the sound of sizzling flesh.

The swordsman fell to the deck, howling in pain. Lee kicked his sword away, then turned to the second fight. One of his gunners-the waterbender- was fighting a second man with a sword. The swordsman was clumsy, clearly new to the art, but Kuruk seemed to be having trouble with him just the same. Lee fired off a pair of quick fireballs, throwing the swordsman off balance. Kuruk hit the man in the face with a heavy stream of water a split second later, knocking him down.

Immediately, Lee was on him. He stomped a boot on the man's chest, scorching the deck plate next to the man's head as he went.

"If you don't want to die," he said, "I recommend you stand down."

"You're a traitor to your country," the sailor replied, "I may not have killed you, but the Fire Navy will."

A pair of guards were had arrived on scene, spears at the ready. Lee straightened up when they had secured the swords.

"What are your orders, sir?" one guard asked him, eyeing the two attackers.

"Escort these men down to the brig, and hold them under guard until the captain is ready to deal with them."

"Aye sir."

The guards hauled up the two men and forced them towards the nearest deck hatch.

"Are you all right sir?" Kuruk asked when they had gone below. Lee turned around and faced the gunner.

"I wouldn't be if it weren't for you. You have my thanks sailor."

"What was he talking about, sir?"

"What do you mean?"

"He said you were a traitor. That the Fire Navy will kill you? What was that about?"

Lee sighed. Whatever leak had brought the rebellion to the attention of his crew, it had come at a bad time. _Well_, he thought, _it's out of the bag now._

"Tell me, can you keep a secret?"

"As well as anyone, sir. Five years of torture saw to that."

"I see. Well, there's a rebellion brewing. The North Sea Island colonies are going to separate from the Fire Nation, going to become independent. The Captain and myself could be considered the first men in the council's new navy."

The waterbender stood there for a moment, staring at Lee with the same hard expression. He was beginning to wonder if he should prepare to defend himself when the kid snapped out of it.

"Me too, sir."

"Excuse me?"

"You need sailors, sir. People to lead. Consider me your navy's first one."

Lee was taken aback, but tried his usual best not to show it.

"Why? You have no stake in this fight."

"Because I'm a waterbender? Or because I'm not from the islands? Either way, sir, it doesn't matter. I'm with you to the end."

* * *

"What in the name of Koh happened on deck tonight, Lieutenant?"

After seeing Kuruk off, Lee had been summoned to the captain's cabin. The old man was angrier than he'd ever seen him before.

"We have a leak, sir," Lee replied, deciding to tell it to him straight, "a pair of crewman got word of the rebellion somehow, and attacked me thinking I'm a traitor."

"Where are they now?"

"Under guard in the brig."

The captain stood up, walking over to the long, red tinted window that dominated one bulkhead.

"Did anyone witness your attack?"

"Yes sir. The waterbending gunner helped me take down the attackers."

"Pity. That means we can't make them disappear."

The comment shocked Lee. It was a side of the skipper he'd never seen.

"Sir?"

"You're familiar with standing order one nine zero, correct Lieutenant?"

"Of course, sir."

It was hard to serve in the Fire Navy without ever having heard of Standing Order 190. It had been issued by Fire Lord Sozin in response to a mutiny onboard a Southern Raiders frigate. Records of the incident had been purged from the Fire Navy's archives, so no one except anyone that had been there knew exactly what happened. The order, however, was something that was universally known about the incident.

Order 190 had come straight from the Fire Lord, stating that anyone threatening mutiny on board a Fire Navy ship was to be removed as a threat. In essence, they disappeared.

"Sir," Lee said, hesitant to continue for fear of setting the captain off even further, "we can't keep that order. The men need to be punished, but making them live in fear of disappearing for grumbling about the officers over them is wrong."

"I know, Lieutenant. I have no plan of keeping that order in effect, and I have informed the other captains of the same. I guess we'll just have to bring back the classics then. What do you think, Lieutenant? Would an example be better set by a good, old fashioned flogging, or would a keelhauling be in order?"

Lee shuddered at the thought. He had witnessed one flogging during his naval career, early on. A non-firebending crewmember had insulted an officer, and had been sentenced to twenty lashes on the quarterdeck in lieu of an Agni Kai. In recent times, the Navy had followed along the lines of Fire Lord Ozai and had taken to branding men that were due to be punished. He had never, however, seen a keelhauling. He couldn't even remember ever hearing of one during the Hundred Year War.

The barbaric process of a keelhauling was well known to sailors and officers alike, as Fire Navy regulation still permitted it as a punishment. A length of rope was thrown over one side of the ship and pulled under, up onto the opposite side. The line was tied to the sailor due for keelhauling, and he was thrown overboard. A team of deck crewman would then proceed to haul the man under, dragging him along the keel of the ship. There had been cases where they had hauled too fast, with the man coming up without limbs on the other side. In other cases, where the team hauled too slowly, the man would drown before reaching the other side.

"Honestly, sir, I think a flogging would be a far more appropriate punishment for the men. I don't see any justification for bringing back keelhauling."

"You're probably right. We'll do away with the regulation permitting that when the time comes. But flogging it is. I'll draw up the sentencing letters."

Lee nodded. He didn't want to see the men flogged, but in his heart he knew it was the right thing to do. Discipline had to be maintained on the ship.

"Is there anything else you require from me, sir?"

"Yes, actually. As you're aware, the next meeting of the Five Island Council is in three days. I hope you didn't have any plans for the next few days."

"Well sir, Governor Qiao has requested that I give her a tour of our vessel the day before. But other than that, I really don't have anything planned."

"That is acceptable. I informed all the department heads to have their men assembled on the gun deck tomorrow. We are going to address the men and get this revolution out in the open. Let them make the choice for themselves. We'll work the flogging into it, let them know what waits for them if they don't take the peaceful option."

"Peaceful option, sir?"

"Yes. I plan to offer the men a choice. Those for us can remain, serving with us until we're either free or dead. Those that don't wish to betray their country can leave peacefully and go back to the Fire Nation. Anyone that stays to try to sabotage my ship or attack my crew will be treated as a full on enemy combatant, regardless of former status."

"Sounds good to me, sir."

"I was hoping so. Now, keep at those tactical plans Lieutenant. We'll be going up against Commander Long when the time comes for action. He's one of the best the Navy's got, and he has some sharp crews under his command. There's not a lot of time to prepare, and we need to be ready to go."

"Aye, sir."

"Go get some rest, Lieutenant. We've got another full day ahead of us tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm running out of new things to put down for a disclaimer, but I'm assuming everyone that's still with me at this point knows that I don't own any of it and never will.**

* * *

Chapter 7

_Azulon's _gun deck was a scene of mass chaos the following morning. The entire crew stood in loose formation, milling around aimlessly while various chiefs and officers barked out orders. Lee stood in a doorway, watching the pandemonium play out with a look of mild amusement on his face. No one had the slightest idea why they had all been gathered there. He'd heard plenty of guesses, though. Most of them pertaining to the fight late last night.

He looked over at Captain Yuan. The man was leaning against a bulkhead, eyes closed as if deep in thought. It looked like he hadn't taken his own advice the night before, instead choosing to stay up and take care of anything that needed taking care of to get ready for today. Either way, he would tell Lee if he felt like it. It wasn't his place to ask.

"Let's address the men, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir."

Lee stepped out onto the deck first. As with all assemblies of the crew, it was his duty to make sure everyone was ready for the arrival of the captain. That meant standing in awkward silence while the chiefs restored order nine times out of ten.

This time was no different. As soon as the sunlight hit his shoulder plates, chiefs everywhere seemed to triple the intensity of their shouted orders. Sailors fought to get into line while at the same time trying to make sure they had a clear line of sight to the area where the captain would be speaking. All Lee could do was stand there and marvel at how unseasonably hot it was. The sun beat down murderously, while the black steel under his boots radiated every bit of heat back towards the sky. He felt a few rogue beads of sweat threatening his brow, but he crushed down the urge to mop it away.

When the crew stopped moving and quieted down, Lee stepped forward.

"Good morning crew of the _Azulon!_" he shouted, throwing every ounce of authority he could into the yell. Every officer was well trained to do that at the academy, ensuring that their voice could be heard by every single body on deck.

"_Good morning First Lieutenant!_" a thousand voices roared back at him. He allowed himself to smile. The men had spirit, and it would be clear to everyone for a mile around.

"I hope everyone enjoyed their liberty in the Fire Nation, short as it was. Lots of beautiful ladies, huh?"

The comment drew a ripple of laughter from the crowd, with isolated whistles here and there.

"You guys deserved it after all the hard work you put in getting this proud vessel underway. And you put in just as good of a job in getting her back here safely to your families and friends. Let me give a shout out to the crew of gun mount number two!"

Each of the men on the crew cheered, with even the gun chief joining in. A few others playfully jeered them.

"While everyone else was chilling, mount two was drilling. It goes without saying that mount two has the finest gunners in the fleet, and everyone else should follow their example. Now, I know you all are wondering why we have you assembled up here today. Now, I could tell you, but the skipper has some words for you instead. Give him your _undivided _attention, please. Chiefs, keep your men under control until after the captain is done speaking."

With that said, Lee turned towards the door where Captain Yuan was standing. He nodded to the old man, and received a nod in reply. He then turned back to the throng standing before him.

"Captain on deck, a-ten-shun!"

Every man on deck came to rigid attention as the old man walked out onto the deck plates. He walked until he was standing just to the right and in front of Lee.

"Thank you, First," he said, "at ease, everyone! Good morning!"

"_Good morning, sir!"_

"As the First said, you all have been doing an outstanding job, and I'm proud to say that I have you men for a crew. As you all know, the world has become a far different place than it was when you first enlisted. The tides of time are always ebbing and flowing, and it is our duty to ride them wherever they may take us. We are, however, able to steer our own course on the waters of fate. Every decision we make determines whether we encounter smooth sailing, or end up in a storm. Some headings are easy to set, some are not.

"You all are standing in front of me today because you all have a heading to choose. Some of you have already heard the rumors. For those of you that have, as well as those of you that haven't, let me set the record straight for you. The Fire Lord has ordered our fleet to tear the colonists of the North Sea Islands away from their homes, their lives and legacies. Even their families for some.

"It is every man's duty to stand up for what he thinks is right. It is a sacred duty that we all share. Honor binds us to the paths that we think are right or wrong. Only history has the clarity to tell us for sure whether the path we chose was actually the right one. I ask that you look into your own hearts, men. Is it right for a ruler to tear his people away from the lives that they were asked to live in the first place? Is it right for any king or queen to make the decision to rip you from your home without ever even looking you in the eyes? Every one of you swore an oath when you put on the uniform that you wear now. You swore to defend your nation against threats at home and abroad. But you have also sworn a sacred oath to the people of the islands. To the islands themselves, to defend them against the same. Now, you must choose which of these oaths you are called to follow.

"Men, I give you a choice. You may choose to remain in the service of the Fire Nation. You will not break your oath to uphold the Fire Lord. You will not be persecuted for your decision. Safe passage back to the home islands will be provided for everyone that wishes to return. You may also choose to side with your islands, as I myself have and the First Lieutenant has. You will become members not of the Fire Navy, but of a new navy. A new nation. You will be the first men on the first ships of the North Sea Navy.

"The Five Island Council is at this moment preparing a declaration of our independence from the Fire Nation. They will draft laws for our new nation. A system of government run not by some royal family that has lost touch with the citizens it is supposed to rule, but by the people that live under it. A government truly by the people, for the people. The Fire Lord will try to stop us, but only time will be able to tell which of us has the right of it.

"All of you that wish to remain loyal to the Fire Nation do not need to declare it here. Simply let your chief or division officer know, and you will be released from your duties on my ship with no ill will. If you wish to remain, again let your chief or division officer know. And a word to those of you that wish to leave.

"You will not be punished if you leave peacefully. I bear you no ill will, as I trust your shipmates will also. However, those of you that choose to remain loyal to the Fire Lord and also choose to remain here, thinking that you will better serve his cause by trying to undermine ours, your presence will not be tolerated. Just last night, a pair of men acting on a rumor of revolution attacked the First Lieutenant on the gun deck. They ambushed a decorated naval officer, their own comrade in arms, in an act of extreme cowardice and shame. Master at arms, bring the men forward."

Lee looked over to where a number of guards were standing, surrounding the prisoners that had just attacked him last night. The man he had burned looked absolutely piteous, most of his face wrapped in bandages that looked to have been haphazardly applied. _Medic doesn't have much taste for men that try to ambush an officer._ The other man attempted to look proud, but under the hard glares of the entire crew he did a miserable job.

The men were frog marched at spear point over to the captain, where he looked at them with no emotion whatsoever in his eyes.

"You men stand accused of mutiny and attempted murder of a senior officer. In wartime, these crimes would be punishable by death, but fortunately for you two we aren't currently at war. Have you anything to say for yourselves?"

The burned man didn't say anything. He simply shook his head without making eye contact with the captain. He was a man broken by the burn and the thought of how far he'd fallen. The second man, however, looked the captain square in the eyes.

"I have nothing to say to a traitor to the Fire Nation," he said.

"Just as well. I have nothing to say to a man that turns his back on his crew in the shameful way that you two did. It's not your country that keeps you alive when your ship sails into a typhoon. It's the men you see standing before you. Your shipmates are your true family on this vessel, and anyone that would betray the absolute trust in the man next to you to do his job and keep the two of you alive is the true traitor.

"By the authority vested in me by North Sea Naval regulation, as well as Fire Navy regulation, I hereby sentence you men to twenty five lashes apiece, to be served immediately. Master at arms, ready the convicted."

Two of the guards jammed heavy steel poles into fittings in the deck prepared especially for this purpose. Two more stripped the shirts from the backs of the men to be flogged, forcing them over to the frames set up. Their arms were bound so that they were outstretched. The final piece in the puzzle was a thick wooden bit given to each man to prevent him from breaking off his teeth or biting off his tongue.

Lee willed his mind to be somewhere else as the captain picked up the whip. As the commander of the ship, only Yuan could mete out justice. That meant that he would be the one to wield the whip in a situation like this. For that, Lee was grateful. He didn't have the stomach to put a man through that kind of pain just to make an example of him. While the second man hadn't actually been hurt in the fight, the man he'd burned definitely had. Lee knew firsthand how long the burn would plague him, and that should have been adequate enough. But, regulation was regulation. Order had to be maintained, and example had to be made.

_Whatever makes you happiest,_ he told himself, knowing that the only way to compartmentalize the situation would be to find some form of justification for it in his mind.

Not watching a punishment being handed out by the captain was considered a shameful show of weakness for any man in the Navy, but it went double for the First Lieutenant or any other line officer. For that reason, Lee couldn't look away from the grisly event. It didn't mean that he had to pay attention to it, though. He found himself thinking of memories from his childhood, of times spent on liberty in rough foreign ports with his fellow junior officers. Anything but what was happening in front of him. The only thing he couldn't drown out, however, was the sound of the whip cracking across skin and the cries of the man it was making contact with.

A healer stepped forward to administer to the cuts in the backs of the flogged men when the captain set the whip down. As a part of their punishment, the two men would spend another week licking their wounds down in the brig, but it was important to make sure that they wouldn't die from their injuries while they did. The rest of the crew simply looked on in numb horror as the men before them were taken down and carried away, weeping piteously as they went.

"Consider that your first and only warning men," the captain said, looking across the crowd in front of him with a hard stare, "Leave peacefully, stay peacefully, it makes no difference. Choose to make trouble like these men did, and the same fate awaits. You all are dismissed."

He turned away from the crowd and walked back to the command tower. Lee remained rooted in place, looking at the men in front of him. Ordinarily, they would be practically tripping over themselves to get out of there and back to work or off the ship for liberty. Now, however, they just stood there. Staring at the frames. The deck seamen were first to react, grabbing buckets and beginning to scrub the blood and sweat off the deck before it had a chance to crust on and really make their lives miserable.

The sound of the stiff brushes on the deck plates seemed to break the trance. The crew began to slowly disperse, everyone quietly shuffling away. Even the chiefs were unusually quiet as they went. Lee wondered if it was the weight of the decision they all faced, or what they had just borne witness to. _Probably a bit of both_ he concluded before beginning the walk back to his office.

* * *

The ship stayed quiet for the rest of the day. Lee sat down in his office for the majority of it, leaving only to get himself dinner from the wardroom. As he was coming back, he noticed a small note sitting on his desk. He picked it up eagerly, thinking that it was another letter from the pretty governor that had taken such an interest in him. Instead, he found himself reading a simply scrawled note.

_The ship needs a new name. Let me know what you come up with._

There was no name signed, but Lee knew who it was without having to try. Captain Yuan. The reasoning was sound. It wouldn't do for the ship to retain the name of a Fire Lord when it didn't belong to the Fire Nation anymore. He took a seat behind his desk, brushing aside tactical plans for the gun crews and a modification to the guns that he had come up with himself. He paused, admiring his handiwork. Inspired by Seaman Kuruk, his plan for the next generation of naval guns involved a small charge of blasting powder to be used as a propellant for the bomb instead of a firebender. Touched off with a spark, the gun could be operated by anyone. No need to come up with firebenders to form the crews anymore.

_Names, names, names,_ he thought, trying to force his mind into the same inspiration that had brought the gun idea to him. It would be weird to refer to his ship by anything other than _Azulon_, but maybe it was time to rename the ship. _Azulon_ had stricken fear into the hearts of men the world over, bringing pride and glory to the Fire Navy. Now, it would be the Fire Navy that needed to live in fear at the mention of the ship's name. It would be this vessel that would truly serve as the North Sea Islands' fifty thousand ton declaration of independence.

He stopped there, grabbing his brush. He jotted down _Declaration, _but paused. It didn't have a good ring to it. He continued. _Declaration of Independence._ Too long, not inspiring enough. He rubbed his chin, then decided to shorten it. _Independence. _

"The North Sea Navy ship _Independence,_" he said aloud. The name had a good sound to it. _Sounds like a keeper to me._

He set the paper aside, picking up the tactical plans he'd been working on before and starting work on them once again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** **First, let me wish all my readers a happy new year and a merry christmas or whatever holiday it is you choose to celebrate. I've been busily cranking away, and just realized as I was working on the story today how far behind myself I've gotten. So, hopefully you enjoy the three chapter update today. As always, thank you to those of you who are following the story. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what I can improve, anything I've missed that you think would be relevant, or just to tell me you like it (or not).**

**Standard disclaimer. Don't own it. Never have. Never will. This is just the ramblings of a bored fan.**

* * *

Chapter 8

"_Sir._"

Lee groaned, looking up to see who had interrupted his sleep. At first, he thought he had simply rolled over onto his stomach in bed. But as his senses slowly switched back on, he began to realize that his pillow wasn't under his face. Instead, the surface of his desk was. A piece of parchment tried unsuccessfully to cling to his face as he shot upright. It fluttered down, coming to rest near the edge. He shook his head and looked up at the man that had woke him up.

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning. What do you need?"

"Communications watch officer, sir. I have a message for you."

The man set a small scroll down on his desk, saluted, and walked out. Lee rubbed his eyes and picked up the message. The emblem on it was familiar, the insignia of the governor's office on Blackwood Island. He smiled as he unrolled it.

_Lieutenant Lee,_

_Good morning. My ship pulled in this morning. I have a couple small matters to take care of, but I plan to call on you around noon. I hope that is acceptable. After that, we will do dinner. Until then._

_Qiao_

Lee heard footsteps just outside, and looked up. He saw a flash of red and black passing, and spoke up.

"Sailor!"

One of the ship's firebenders took a few steps back to center himself in the doorway.

"Yes sir?"

"What time is it?"

" Ten, I believe."

"Thank you."

Lee stood up, joints popping uncomfortably as he went. He didn't know how long he'd been out, but he did know that it was unusual for him to sleep in for so long. _And with the door open, too._ He wondered how many crewmen had walked past him and witnessed him asleep at his desk.

The door screeched loudly as he closed it. The sound was miserable, just another reminder of the age and condition of his ship. He stripped out of his dirty uniform, taking care to still fold it neatly and put it away. It took a few minutes for him to put the fresh one on, taking care to avoid wrinkling it as he went. The armored chest plate he selected was a worn one, awarded to him when he'd first made Lieutenant. A few scratches and dings were present, long since painted over but still there to remind him of battles past. Overall, it wasn't something he'd wear while on parade, but he supposed it would be good enough to escort a love interest around in. In his experience, the hints of battle damage always made a girl curious to find out what had caused them in the first place.

After reviewing his appearance in the dingy mirror behind where the door rested when it was open, Lee decided that it was satisfactory. He made his way out of the room, winding through the twisting passageways and up to the wardroom.

At this hour of the morning, there weren't a lot of men eating in the wardroom. The navigator sat at a distant table, in an earnest but hushed conversation with the ordnance officer. Both looked up at Lee when he walked in, and regarded him with cool stares. Lee nodded to the two men, wondering why they didn't seemed pleased to see him, before walking over to the window that opened into the galley.

"Good morning, First Lieutenant sir," a sailor said from the other side. He dimly recognized the young woman as one of the ship's cooks, elevated to the status of cooking for officers a few months before.

"Good morning. What have you got for us today?"

"Well, sir, we have the usual. Rice, noodles. Our special meat today is roast duck. Fire flakes."

Lee thought for a moment, wondering what would be a good meal to get his day started. He eventually settled for roast duck mixed in with his bowl of rice. On his way to a table, he stopped for a pot of tea. The pot rested on one of the clever systems dreamt up by some genius at the research facility, one of the devices that wasn't intended to kill people. It was a small plate, heated by a steam coil that ran underneath it. A hand wheel controlled how much steam entered the coils, and as a result how hot the plate would get. On other ships he'd been on, firebending crewmen were responsible for heating their own tea. Nonbenders were simply out of luck unless they had a good friend that was willing to do it for them.

He took his seat at a lone table in the corner, where he could see the entire room. The navigator and his friend had left, leaving him alone in the space until the ship's combat systems officer walked in. The monster of a man had to duck and turn to get through the doorway. He stood tall enough to have to stoop slightly when he walked in order to avoid the pipes overhead, but it never seemed to change his jovial mood. The man looked around, spotted Lee, and immediately made a beeline for his table.

"Good morning, First," the man said as he walked up, taking a seat next to the table. His voice was completely fitting for a man of his stature. Deep, imposing, gruff. His smile, gapped in a couple places where he'd lost teeth to men in bar fights, seemed to add even more menace to him.

"Morning, Bear," Lee replied with a smile, electing to use the man's aptly earned nickname. Bear laughed and pulled out a pouch and his signature pipe. Almost immediately, he began packing a wad of amber leaves into the bowl. The sweet smell wafted across the table to Lee, triggering a long suppressed desire to smoke with the bigger man.

"Want a smoke?"

"No thanks. I quit a few years ago."

Lee had quit the amber leaves when the Navy had put a regulation into effect barring enlisted men from smoking on the bridge and in engineering spaces. He had stopped smoking in order to set a better example for his men, to show them that the officers they served could be beholden to the same regulations as the rest. The Captain had quit as well, thinking it was a great idea.

"Suit yourself," the big man said, sparking a tiny flame on the end of a finger and lighting the shredded leaves in the pipe. He puffed a few times, sending blue clouds wafting up to the ceiling.

"Any new rumors from the Navy front?" Lee asked. The combat systems officer was up to date on all the latest intel from around the fleet, meaning that he was the best man to talk to in order to brush up on current events.

"Naw. Just the usual stuff on the HRM. Fire Lord's drawing down fleet sizes even as that goes on. Western Fleet's already down a quarter of their wartime strength. Oh, and I figured you and the skipper might want to know this one."

Lee raised an eyebrow as Bear leaned in.

"Word's come down officially. Commander Long is the head of the task force the Fire Lord is gonna be sending our way in about a week's time. Twenty ships. Cruisers, to the last. Long requested an Empire on the off chance that he'd have to face down against _Azulon_ here, but none were available. Lucky for us."

"_Independence._"

"I'm sorry?"

"We're renaming her, Bear. _Independence _is what the captain and I came up with."

The man puffed thoughtfully, staring up at the intricate tangle of rusting steam pipes overhead.

"Good name," he said after a moment, "fits this old can surprisingly well. Anyway, Captain Yuan wants us and the rest of the fleet to get underway after the council meeting tomorrow, in order to get our stuff together for the upcoming fight."

Lee nodded, polishing off his bowl of food.

"Might want to hurry up there, Bear. Don't want them cleaning up breakfast before you have a chance to clean 'em out."

The man waved the comment off with another hearty laugh as Lee stood up and left the wardroom.

* * *

It was nearly noon by the time Lee had gathered a party of side boys and made it to the quarterdeck. The small party of men stood flanking either side of the brow, armed with well polished spears and immaculate uniforms. A young woman stood off to the side, holding a small boatswain's whistle. Her sole duty would be to pipe the visiting governor on board with the same military honors afforded to the highest level dignitaries or officers.

As Lee stood at the end of the party, he silently wondered whether she would like the side party he'd assembled or not. He supposed it didn't really matter. Friend or not, she was a governor. There was protocol in place for situations like this, as rare as they were.

Footsteps at the bottom of the brow caught his attention, and he snapped to attention.

"Side_boys,_" he said, and the rest of the party came to attention. As he saw Qiao's head appear at the top of the ramp, he nodded to the young sailor standing off to the side. She took a deep breath, and began blowing the customary call given to distinguished visitors. The beautiful young woman smiled and shook her head as she continued walking towards him. He resisted the urge to return the smile, maintaining the best level of military bearing he could possibly muster. He gave her a bow and salute when she was a few steps away from him.

"Welcome aboard, Governor Qiao," he said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she replied, looking around at the party of sailors that surrounded them, "was all of this really necessary?"

"I arranged the same side party we have always put in place to greet dignitaries and heads of state."

"Well, I guess that's ok then. But you have to promise me you won't do anything like this again."

"Naval regulation won't let me make a promise like that when it comes to bringing you on board the ship."

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to change regulation at the meeting tomorrow, won't we Lieutenant?"

Lee smiled at that, giving a slight nod. He wondered what his crewmen must be thinking, to see their First Lieutenant having such playful banter with a governor, probably the governor of the island a few of them were from.

"Shall we begin the tour then, ma'am?"

"Of course, Lieutenant. Lead on."

Lee began the walk by heading straight towards the command tower. His first planned stop on the tour was the bridge, which was always a favorite with distinguished visitors. To his surprise, Qiao grabbed his shoulder.

"Aren't you going to show me the cannons?"

He paused, then nodded. The gun deck would be as good a place to start as any. Still, he was shocked that she would want to see one of the most horrible weapons of war yet devised by anyone in the world.

"Well, as you probably know already, these cannons form the ship's primary armament. Similar versions, although much smaller and lighter, were fitted to several airships. The guns are crewed by six men apiece, each crew overseen by a gun chief. The entire gun deck is commanded by the senior gun chief, who reports directly to the gunnery officer."

"Amazingly well thought out for such a new warfighting concept."

"Well, all we really did was modify the Navy standard for catapult crews and expand them to work as needed."

"Still. A remarkable process you guys have. How do they stack up to traditional Fire Navy armament?"

"Well ma'am, the guns don't have the range that Fire Navy trebuchets have. Not by a long shot. But what we lack in range, we more than make up for in destructive capability. The bombs these guns launch have proven more than capable of sinking a cruiser with only a few hits."

He stopped in his explanation, having finally noticed that Qiao was giving him a very hard look.

"Are you going to stop that military courtesy, Lee? I understand that you have to keep up appearances in front of your crewmen, but none of them are around us right now, are they?"

"No ma'am. I mean, Qiao."

"Better. So you were explaining how these monstrosities can sink a cruiser with a few shots?"

"Yes. Well, on the range they were able to sink a couple towed targets that quickly. No damage control parties were on board those targets, but we're confident that even with crewmen on board, the guns will be devastating enough to overwhelm efforts to keep them from sinking. The greatest aspect of the weapons we have on board isn't their destructive power. It's the psychological aspect. Most studies I've seen of combat usage of cannons showed that the psychological impact was far greater than even the most well placed shots."

"Impressive. I expect to see a gunnery exercise someday. Shall we continue?"

"Of course. Anywhere specific you'd like to see next?"

"I've always wanted to have a look at the engine room of a Fire Navy ship. Let's head there next!"

* * *

The sun was beginning to set by the time Lee and Qiao found themselves walking into a small cafe near the piers for dinner. Lee had chosen it just for the occasion. It was a personal favorite of his, ever since he'd been a young boy living on the streets. Known locally as the Spirit's Playground Cafe, so named for the small, uninhabited island that had once been the used as a test range for Fire Navy weaponry, the owner of the place had been running it for close to forty years. The walls were adorned with portraits of old ships, officers that had once patronized the establishment, and other memorabilia that came from forty years of working close by the Navy.

Lee and his guest sat at a small table in a secluded corner, watching the activity in the rest of the small restaurant. A few sailors enjoying their last night of shore leave before having to report back on board any one of the six vessels moored at Navy Piers. A CDF gunboat crew arguing quietly over a bowl of noodles as to which island would be the first to be attacked by the Fire Navy, and by extension which branch of the CDF would have the honor of being the first to fight for their homeland. They were soon joined in the argument by a pair of metalworkers just off their all day shift at the fitting out piers.

He tuned out the other things going on and looked across the table at Qiao. She was in the middle of putting away a bowl of dumplings, but still took the time to look up at him and smile. He smiled back, inwardly marveling at how, of all the people that she could have chosen to spend her time on, she would have chosen him.

"Thank you for the tour of your ship today, Lee," she said after she had finished eating. She picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.

"No trouble at all. I've always enjoyed showing her off to people, but the company has never been as good as it was today."

"Flatterer," she replied between sips.

"I mean it," he shot back with a smile, "but I was wondering, why were you so eager to see the engine rooms? Out of all the tours I've ever given, no one has ever been so excited to see the space. In fact, most people don't even care to go down there at all if I ask them about it."

She set her tea cup, now empty, down before looking away for a moment. He wondered whether he'd offended her when she looked back at him.

"All my life, all I ever wanted was to be an engineer. Ever since I was a little girl, all the machinery that the Fire Nation produces has done nothing but fascinate me. I'm not talking about swords or spears or anything like that. Not stuff that kills people."

"Of course."

"Just the way the things work. Tundra tanks, especially the counter-balance system. Propulsion systems on the cruisers. Even the war balloons and air ships. That's all I ever wanted to do. Learn how to make them work, how to fix them and keep them running. But being from a rich family doesn't exactly make that a possibility. Being a girl just hurt my chances even further."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. But, maybe I can make it different. We're getting a chance to start over, and maybe I can make it so little girls like me can actually chase those dreams. I mean, we've already integrated women into crews, right?"

Lee nodded, thinking about Lieutenant Rikke from the _Tempest_ in particular.

"It's getting late. Would you mind escorting me back to the inn I'm staying at?"

"Of course."

They both stood at the same time. Lee set the money for the meal down on his table, despite Qiao's protests to the contrary, before they walked out into the street together.

"I don't see why you wouldn't let me pay," she said, in a playful huff, "I mean, I'm a _governor_ and you're just a sailor."

"Hey, I may have grown up an orphan, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't ever shown how to treat a lady right."

Qiao laughed before laying a hand on his arm. They walked like that for a few minutes, both silent, simply enjoying the other's company.

"Are you nervous, Lee?" she asked him after they'd turned onto the street that would lead them to her inn.

"What do you mean?"

"About what's to come. Do you ever worry, wonder that we're doing the right thing? That it's not all just going to be a waste of time?"

Lee thought for a moment. He'd had those doubts at the very beginning, when they'd been sailing back from the Fire Nation. Time had changed that, turning doubts into resolve.

"I do think we're doing the right thing. We're fighting for the freedom of the people we are sworn to protect. Whether it's going to be a wasted effort, well, that's not mine to say."

They stopped in front of the inn and turned to face each other. Somewhere up the street, a wind chime tinkled softly in the gentle breeze flowing in from the ocean. It carried with it the smells of burning coal, flowers, and burning amber leaves from some sailor tavern that was likely getting rowdy. Lee stared into Qiao's eyes, wondering just how he should proceed. After a moment, it seemed to him that Qiao was making the decision for him as she embraced him gently and stood up on her toes. She closed her eyes as he leaned in the rest of the way, his lips brushing across her own in a gentle kiss. He felt a soft hand come up to caress his cheek, and he took it in his own.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the council meeting," she whispered, pulling away from the embrace, "Thank you again for a wonderful time."

* * *

**A/N: Not to sound desperate or anything, but I'd really appreciate any reviews on the last chapter. Romance has never really been my forte, so I'd appreciate any advice or constructive criticism on how I can improve. Thanks again for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Again, still been busily cranking away. Looking like another three chapter update today. I'm hoping to finsh while I'm still on vacation, in order to get on with the next installment, but we'll see what ends up happening. In the mean time, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I think you know the drill. Don't own it.**

* * *

Chapter 9

"I now call this meeting, the first meeting of the Federation Council, to order. Is everyone present?"

Lee looked around the table. All the governors were already seated. They all appeared just as somber as they'd been the last time he'd seen them all sitting in the same room together, with Qiao being the remarkable exception. She had yet to make eye contact with him since he'd entered the room, but he could tell that she'd been working hard to hide a smile the entire time she'd been sitting there.

"Yes, all the governors are present and accounted for."

Governor Nishi looked over at where Captain Yuan and Lee were sitting.

"Is the Navy delegation present and accounted for?" she asked. Yuan stood up and saluted.

"Yes ma'am. The Navy is represented and accounted for."

"Very well. Let us begin then, shall we?"

Anyone that wasn't already seated took the opportunity to get comfortable. They were going to be there for a while.

"We are meeting today to finalize the formation of the Federation of North Sea Islands, to ratify a temporary constitution of laws to govern us until our independence from the Fire Nation has been assured, and to bring into existence a formal military force to protect our sovereignty. Are we all in agreement?"

A flurry of yes's from around the room confirmed it. Lee looked around, taking the time to remember every detail. It wasn't every day that one was a part of history in the making, after all.

"Governor Jian, you have the floor."

"Thank you," the grim faced ruler of Black Rock Island said before standing to address everyone around him, "It is my proposal that each of our five islands become its own separate state. Each island should have a governor that is responsible for conducting affairs, as it has always been. Each island will have its own set of laws and customs, while answering to a single, centralized government. The council."

"What role will the central government have if all the islands form their own separate states?" Qiao asked, rubbing her chin in thought, "After all, if all the islands are going to be responsible for conducting their own affairs, what is the point of even having this council?"

"The central government will be responsible for seeing that conduct between every island is fair. They will see to the interests of the islands abroad, when we actually start forming international relations. Additionally, I think it is fitting that the military be overseen and maintained by the government, in order to best provide for the security of us all."

"So how is it that we will go about keeping the central government and the island governments separate? It won't really work the way it is now, what with all of us taking part in both."

"I believe I have a proposal for that," Nishi said, "if I may, governor Jian."

The man nodded, and Nishi stood up.

"I believe that it would be fitting for us, the appointed governors, to serve as the first council. Once our independence is secured, each island should hold an election to determine who will take over as the governor of the island. A representative to the council should also be elected at that time."

_Let the people choose who will rule them,_ Lee thought to himself, amazed at the thought but also thinking that it might actually work out well in the long run. _Allow the people to select whoever they think will serve their best interests, rather than inherit a new leader that will simply do whatever is in their own best interest. Smart._

"Government by elected representation? Sounds acceptable to me," Jian said with an approving nod, "Shall we put it to a vote then?"

Everyone around the table nodded in agreement, with the exception of the two naval officers at the end of the table. They would speak up when their time came.

"Very well. All in favor of government by elected representative?"

All five governors raised their hands. Jian rubbed his hands together in excitement, a rare enough gesture for the man.

"Let the record reflect that the motion to govern the Federation by elected representative was passed unanimously. Next order of business, a constitution."

"Governor Jian, if I may."

All heads at the table turned to Captain Yuan, who was preparing himself to stand up.

"Yes, Captain Yuan?"

"I feel that it might be an easier transition if we allowed Fire Nation law to remain in effect until our victory in the upcoming conflict is complete. A whole new set of laws isn't something we'll be able to come up with in one day, and even if it was managed, the people wouldn't be ready to have to all of a sudden adjust to a brand new set of laws overnight."

"So what is it that you recommend we do about our legal system."

Lee looked at the captain when the question was asked. Although he didn't respond right away, the older man hadn't been phased by the question. If Lee was any judge, he guessed that Yuan was simply trying to decide how best to word it.

"Rights. Lay out a framework of what rights we want to give people under the new legal system today, but even if that doesn't happen we have the time to figure it out. That should be the first part of the constitution anyways. What rights do the people have that we can never take away from them."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Qiao said from her seat.

"Very well. You make an excellent point, Captain. Let's put it up for a sounding board then. What rights should our people have that we, the central government of the Federation, can never take away from them?"

"The right to speak their minds freely?" Nishi suggested, keeping her brush poised to write everything down.

"I agree," the governor of Gold Island said, rubbing his considerable belly, "the people should have the right to speak their mind, or write what they want, without fear of persecution by the government."

Nishi began recording what was being said as ideas began flowing forth. Within a few minutes, they had several on the table. Free speech. The right vote for their government. Freedom from slavery. Lee watched in silence as these ideas were tossed back and forth, and wondered whether he would be out of place to suggest something of his own. Yuan seemed to sense this thought, and elbowed him. Lee looked up at his commander, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod. He rose, clearing his throat as he went.

"Governors, if I may," he said quietly, noticing the attention of the entire room turn to him.

"Of course, Lieutenant," Jian said from his seat, "although you and the Captain aren't rulers, we still greatly value your input. What would you give to the people as their undeniable right?"

"A few things, sir. First, what I deem most important to a man having his freedom in the first place. The right to keep and bear arms, whether it be sword, spear, bow and arrow or bending. Second, any citizen should have the right to a fair trial under the law. For too long, dictators have been able to do whatever they want to their subjects. Look at the current leader of our mother country. His father banished him for absolutely no valid reason."

Nishi wrote down these ideas furiously, and Lee wondered for a brief second whether he should continue or wait for her to catch up. He decided to press on while he was on a roll.

"And finally, I think that a man should have the right to avoid incriminating himself. I saw too much of that in the navy as well. They'd ask you questions on purpose that were meant to force you to admit your guilt to something, whether or not you actually did it. It's a horrible practice, and dead wrong on top of that. It has no place in a legal system, in my opinion."

The room was silent for a moment, as all present stopped to ponder everything that he'd said.

"Valid points all," Jian said, "let's make sure they're recorded and put in the bill for the final approval. Thank you, Lieutenant."

Lee bowed and took his seat again. Yuan slapped him on the shoulder to congratulate him, and out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Qiao smiling at him in admiration. He smiled, inwardly wondering what he'd done that was such a big deal, but decided to just let it go and continue enjoying the process.

"Well, I think if no one has anything else to add, we should put these down for deliberation at our next meeting. For final ratification."

"I second that motion," Mako of the Rift said, barely audible over the rest of them.

"All in favor?"

Everyone raised their hands, and Nishi put the paper that she'd been writing on aside. She stood up slowly, her face suddenly somber.

"I think that it would be fitting to address what's on everyone's mind next. Military measures against the Fire Nation in order to secure our freedom."

Everyone murmured their agreement and turned to look at Captain Yuan again. The man stood up slowly, picking up a pair of scrolls as he went.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the council, as my first order of business, I would like to propose the organization of the islands' military force. I believe that the most effective way to organize our forces would be to divide them into two branches. A Navy, which would be responsible for operations that you would expect. Additionally, I would propose the creation of a Naval Marine force, in order to handle the aspects of ship to ship combat in respect to boarding, but also to handle combat ashore."

"What you're describing sounds surprisingly like the army, Captain."

"Not necessarily," Yuan said, turning to face Jian directly, "The Fire Nation army is not as adept at operating in close concert with the navy as I envision the North Sea Naval Marines being. I see an all around fighting force, trained to assault enemy held beaches just as well as they assault enemy held ships on the high seas. Someday, we could even find a way to integrate aerial operations and armor into the corps."

"An army without tanks or mounted capabilities? That would put us at a huge disadvantage when facing the Fire Nation Army!"

"Not necessarily. The North Sea fleet has always been about denying sea access to the islands so that our lack of a formal infantry or armored fighting force wouldn't be an issue. Tanks aren't going to be a threat in the cargo hold of an enemy cruiser when we engage it in the Burning Sea. Let's worry about tanks or cavalry when we've defeated the force that the Fire Lord is sending our way."

"Ok Captain," Nishi said, leaning forward onto the table, "Say we entertain your plan for the military. What is your plan for boosting our capabilities when we've repelled the incoming fleet?"

"Well, ma'am, I think priority should be given to arming all of our ships with cannons first. The naval gun is currently our greatest weapon against the Fire Nation, and I doubt highly that they will be able to catch up to us in terms of equipping the system on their ships any time soon. All the design work was done here in the islands. Additionally, we have the capability to construct lighter ship classes here in our own dry-docks, and I believe that we should begin doing that as soon as possible. New ships are going to be essential for when Zuko decides to commit a bigger fleet to rooting us out of here."

"Hold on there, Captain. You're saying that you don't think the force on its way in a week is going to be the only one sent to bring us back under Fire Nation control?"

"That is correct, ma'am. The force under Commander Long may be all he has available to throw at us right now, but once his commitments are lessened, he's going to send a much bigger force our way. Now, as I was saying before, our first concern should be building and crewing more ships. Denial of access to our waters is going to be our best bet in the long run. After we increase our fleet strength, only then should we begin focusing more on building tanks and training cavalry."

"You're gambling a lot on your ability to lead a force capable of beating back the Fire Navy, Captain."

"I suppose you're right, Governor Jian, but I have every bit of faith that it can be done. I can train a finer crew than any the Fire Navy can throw my way, and that's what it's going to boil down to in the upcoming fight. Quality over quantity."

"Very well, Captain. All in favor of the creation of the North Sea Navy and the North Sea Naval Marines to serve as the federal government's military force?"

Five yes's from around the room.

"Very well captain. I believe it is well within our current power to promote you then. This council hereby names you Commander, and awards to you the position of chief of naval operations, to be served concurrent with your duties as the commanding officer of the North Sea Naval ship _Azulon_ until such time as a suitable replacement can be found to take your place as commander of the vessel. What other business do you have for this council, Captain?"

"Well, first off I think we should address names for our ships. In order to further drive that psychological wedge in, that we're not just mutinied crews, I propose that the vessels be renamed if their crews so choose."

The governor of Gold Island scoffed at the comment, drawing hard stares from both Yuan and Lee.

"What difference is the name of the ship going to make in the long run, Captain?" the fat old man asked, "It's simply a weapon, a tool to be used against our enemies. What does it matter what it's called?"

"I've got this one, sir," Lee said, standing up. He'd always hated civilians like the man that sat in front of him. Men and women that had no bearing on the traditions and customs of the Navy. They almost always had the same attitude when it came to how navy men and women felt about their ships. Yuan raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Have you ever served in any military capacity sir?"

"As a matter of fact, I haven't Lieutenant."

"No naval service whatsoever?"

"No."

"Then let me break it down for you, sir. A ship is far more than a floating chunk of iron to the men that serve on board her. That's why we refer to ships as women. They're like mother figures to us. They protect us. Shelter us in storms. Sail into battle with us. Any man in the Navy is willing to die to keep his ship afloat, to keep her in fighting shape, because in reality, we count on the ship to keep us alive just as much as she counts on us to sail her. What we name our ship is greatly important to us, even if _civilians_ like yourself don't understand. Especially when our ship, _my _ship, bears the same name as a tyrannical member of the ruling family that we are rebelling against."

"Take it easy, Lieutenant.," Nishi said, visibly trying to conceal a smile, "no one here is saying that the name of your vessel is unimportant. Captain, I think it is perfectly acceptable to rename all the vessels in the fleet. Really, I don't even see why you're asking us. You're the chief of naval operations now, that means they're your ships to do with as you please. And just out of curiosity, what is it that you intend to name your flagship?"

"Lieutenant?"

Lee looked around the table, taking plenty of time to shoot a glare that he sincerely wished would bore through the man who he had come dangerously close to disrespecting.

"_Independence_, ma'am."

"Well, Captain, I sincerely hope that you and the _Independence _battle group will prevail in the upcoming battle. Is there anything else you require?"

"No ma'am. There isn't."

"Well, I propose we take a short recess. Captain, you are free to return to your fleet. I understand you have an underway date to meet anyway?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am. Hopefully the next time you see us in this chamber, we'll have defeated the Fire Navy."

"I look forward to that day, Captain."

* * *

"Lieutenant!"

Lee stopped in the lobby and turned around. Qiao was standing in the doorway that led into the council chambers, and she started walking towards him. He vaguely heard the captain take a few more steps before he stopped as well.

"What can I do for you governor?"

"I just wanted to give you something before you get underway is all," she said as she got closer, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. She slipped something out of the sleeve of her gown, a small package wrapped in brown paper. She handed it to him with a smile.

"Now, you're not allowed to open that until you're back on board. Promise?"

"I promise, ma'am."

"Good. Now, good luck and take care Lieutenant. I trust that you're going to have all sorts of new war stories to tell me when you get back."

She stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning around and walking back to the council chamber. Lee looked down at the parcel she'd given him and smiled before turning to face the captain again.

"Touching," the older man said with a slight smile. Lee snorted.

"Thank you, sir."

"Ready to go?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Make preparations for getting underway, Lieutenant. It's time to fight another war."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Longest chapter so far. I tried to integrate my own navy experience here with what I envision a crew in the Avatar world would go through in a battle stations drill, so let me know what you think.**

**Standard Disclaimer here.**

* * *

Chapter 10

"First Lieutenant!" Captain Yuan shouted from his position near the chart table, "set general quarters."

"Aye aye, sir," Lee replied, moving over to the shipboard loudspeaker. He cleared his throat, then opened the sliding plate that would allow his voice to travel through the tubes that led to everywhere on the ship.

"General quarters, general quarters. All hands, man your battle stations. Routes for general quarters are up and forward on the starboard side, down and aft on the port side. All departments submit readiness reports to the bridge. This is a drill. All hands to battle stations."

He repeated the announcement before stepping away from the speaking tube. The bridge crewmen around him were all picking up helmets and clapping them down on their skulls. Non-essential personnel were already leaving the bridge, heading off to wherever they were required.

Lee slapped on his own helmet and walked over to where the captain was standing. He ducked as he walked, a needless gesture considering the modified design put into use. Old Fire Navy officer's helmets had spikes that protruded upwards, and had once had a nasty habit of hanging up on anything overhead. The machine shop had altered the helmet of every single officer on board, cutting the spikes off and grinding the stubs down smooth. The result was a helmet that bore remarkable similarity to the helmets every other man on the crew wore.

"Are you timing them, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir."

The goal of the repeated battle stations drills they'd been conducting for the past week was to get the time necessary to get to full readiness in less than twelve minutes. It had been slow going, but the night before they had managed to set a record time for the underway period. Fourteen minutes.

"You think this one will be the one, Lieutenant?"

Lee thought about it as he watched the bridge's battle watch standers make their way to their stations. Some of them looked as if the drill had shaken them out of their racks, and he wouldn't have been surprised if it had. Battle stations meant that he best men they had for any job needed to be at their stations. If that meant men or women that normally stood the night watch, well that was the price that had to be paid.

"I think so, sir."

The captain nodded before turning back to the chart table.

"First Lieutenant! Engineering and supply report manned and ready."

"Very well," Lee replied. Hearing that the two largest departments on the ship had manned up so quickly was a promising sign. He had faith that the men under his command could get it done within the time that the captain had specified. The problem was getting them used to it. Fire Navy regulations specified that the men could take fifteen minutes to get to battle stations on a smaller ship. The standard for the Empire Class ships was seventeen.

"First Lieutenant. Ordnance department reports manned and ready."

"Very well." _Three down, three more to go._

Lee looked over at the captain, who was drumming his fingers against the chart table as if bored. He looked down at his timing device, which was already at nine minutes into the drill. Taking an uneasy breath, he turned back to the man sitting at the communications console.

"First Lieutenant. Deck and combat systems report manned and ready."

"Very well."

_What is taking navigation so long?_ Navigation was the smallest department on the ship, and most of them worked here on the bridge, or just above on the signal bridge. He couldn't understand why they would take so long to man up for battle stations. As he was thinking that, he heard footsteps climbing up the ladder just behind the bridge. Hopefully the last man to get to his station.

"First Lieutenant! Navigation reports manned and ready," the communications watch stander said a few seconds later, as if to confirm that the last man had indeed made it to his station, "all departments report manned and ready, sir."

"Very well," Lee replied, checking the timing device. Eleven minutes.

"Captain, the ship reports manned and ready for general quarters."

"Very well, Lieutenant. What time are we looking at?"

"Eleven minutes, sir."

"Very well. Let me make an announcement."

Yuan brushed past him, walking over to the voice tube that Lee had been using only a short while before. He opened the tube and began to speak.

"On board _Independence_ this is the captain. We took eleven minutes to man up for general quarters this time, and let me just say I'm proud of you all. Department heads, you've all received your copies of the script for today's drill, and we will begin running it momentarily. I want you all to remember to treat this training like it's the real deal. Our level of training will determine how well we handle an actual battle scenario, and I want us to be well ready by the time we're actually in position to be fighting a real war. With that said, stand by for your general quarters scenario. Captain out."

Yuan stepped away from the voice tube and nodded to Lee. He cleared his throat and readied the written script before stepping back up to the voice tube.

"The _Independence_ is currently conducting sea access denial operations in the Burning Sea. Picket ship _Tempest_ has reported the presence of several Fire Navy vessels in the area, and the fleet commander has ordered _Independence_ to engage and sink the vessels should they be encountered. Intelligence reports indicate that the Fire Navy force consists of three cruisers."

Lee nodded and stepped away from the tube, allowing the bridge communications officer to take his position. From here on out, there wasn't really anything for him to do other than supervise things. The rest of the departments had their orders and areas of responsibility, and the captain himself would be the one calling the shots. At this point, he was simply there for moral support.

"Captain, sir!" the navigator shouted from his station at the far end of the bridge, "Lookout reports three Fire Navy cruisers, relative bearing zero-five-zero, estimated range seven nautical miles."

"Helm, right ten degree rudder. Come to heading one-four-five. Gunnery officer, ready all gun mounts."

A chorus of aye ayes from the men addressed echoed all over the bridge. Lee looked out the bridge in the direction indicated. The ship began to list slightly to the side as the rudder swung her towards her new heading.

"Lee helm, all ahead flank."

"Aye aye sir."

The lee helmsman, responsible for relaying throttle orders to the engine room, and as such responsible for changing how fast the ship was going, cranked on a handle. A complicated linkage of wires and pulleys would change the indication at the throttle station, just forward of the ship's powerful main engines. From there, the throttle watch officer would do his thing and increase speed. Lee, if asked, would have been forced to admit that he had no idea how that was actually done. Engineering wasn't his area of expertise.

A moment later, a small bell rang at the lee helm's console. The young sailor operating it looked at the gauges and the indicator from the engine room.

"All ahead full indicated and answered for."

"Very well," the captain said. The hull of the ship began to thrum with the incredible power of the main engines as the screw bit into the water and pushed her forward. All the doors and windows into the bridge were dogged down, isolating the noise from outside surprisingly well. Had any sound been getting into the bridge, the cacophonous howl of the blowers would have been loud enough to make talking difficult.

* * *

Down on the gun deck, Kuruk heard the blowers begin to pick up. He knew the drill. The ship was moving to flank speed, charging forward to engage their phantom enemies. The wind across the deck seemed to confirm it. It was pleasant, but he knew that once _Independence_ actually reached flank speed, about twenty four knots, the wind would whip across the deck hard enough to make even standing upright difficult.

"All right ladies," the gun chief shouted, "we have our targets. Three Fire Navy cruisers, rapidly approaching off the starboard side. Chief Gunner's ordered us to ready our weapons for firing, so let's hop to it! Remind all these other suckers who the best gun crew on the ship is. Trainer, rig the gun out to starboard. Relative bearing, zero nine zero."

The platform number two rested on hissed loudly, and the barrel of the gun swung ponderously over to the starboard side. Spurts of steam vented from a couple joints in the deck where the pipes had cracked with age, and Kuruk found himself working his way over to where the steam escaped. Gunners wore modified versions of standard armor; cut off sleeves and an altered helmet. The concussion from the guns firing had been shown to have detrimental effects on the gun crews that operated them. The sound resonated inside traditional helmets, accelerating the hearing loss. As a result of the modified uniforms, the gun crews got colder much easier, especially when the wind picked up. Once they got into the routine of firing off salvos, they would warm up. He basked in the warmth of the venting steam while he could, knowing that as soon as they needed him he'd have to suck it up and step away.

"_Attention all mounts,_" a voice came through the trumpet that connected to the ship's speaking tube system, "_this is the captain. The enemy ships are roughly two nautical miles off the starboard side. In roughly one minute, they will be in range. All mounts, load and stand by for firing order._"

"_Load!_"

The crews at all three guns practically leapt into action, snatching up their rounds from the ready racks and swinging them up towards the muzzles of the guns. _Live rounds,_ Kuruk reminded himself. It was rare that they practiced with the real deal, preferring the much safer, solid metal training rounds to the volatile explosive bombs. He reminded himself to do his absolute best swabbing out the bore today. Even the slightest spark had the potential cook the bomb off in the barrel, causing a lethal explosion that would tear most of the gun deck apart. He shivered, remembering the stories about the first trials with the new weapons.

"_Kuruk!_ Are you just gonna stand over there goldbricking, or are you going to actually contribute to this exercise?"

"Aye aye chief," he replied, hiding a smile and moving over to his station on the gun platform.

"_Attention all mounts,_" the voice came through the speaking tube again about a minute later, "_one Fire Navy cruiser is off the starboard side, range one nautical mile and closing."_

The crews steeled themselves for action. For a brief moment, the only sounds were the wind whipping across the deck, the sound of the hull slicing through the waves, and the steady roar of the blower. Suddenly, the jarring sound of the ship's alarm bell began clanging through the voice tubes. Instead of the captain coming through this time, the voice of the bridge talker could be heard instead.

"_Onboard the _Independence. _Coal balls incoming, starboard side, estimated time to impact six seconds. All hands brace for shock!_"

In an instinctive movement, everyone on deck crouched down and grabbed onto the nearest solid object for support. In Kuruk's case, it was the edge of the gun platform. He silently counted to six, although the impact would have happened before he had a chance to make it that far.

"_Impact! Hit one, starboard side aft! Investigators away, all repair lockers conduct communication's checks with the damage control officer on the bridge._"

"_Attention all mounts. Fire Navy cruiser is in range, five hundred yards directly to port. All mounts, fire three when ready."_

_Show time._

"Trainer! Elevate two five degrees! Acknowledge when on target!"

The trainer began spinning the elevation wheel madly. Kuruk watched him, silently wondering why, when the rest of the gun was operated by steam, the elevation mechanism couldn't have been as well. He filed it away, hoping he'd have another chance to speak with the First Lieutenant so he could pass that gripe on to him.

"Chief! Elevated two five degrees and on target."

"Very well. Fire when ready."

The crew's firebender stepped up and put his palm to the firing port. He inhaled, tensed his body, and pushed as much flame into the barrel as he could manage. With a concussive _whump_, the heavy bomb erupted from the muzzle amidst a cloud of fire. It had barely left the barrel when the gun chief was shouting again.

"_Swab!_"

Kuruk streamed water out of the cask and sent it flowing into the mouth of the gun. He tried to work quickly, at the same time visualizing the water touching every surface on the interior of the bore. Once he felt it at the end, he swept it all back out again, making sure that he got every bit of moisture.

"Barrel swabbed, chief!" he shouted as the water, slightly dirtier than when he'd first swept it all up, cleared the bore. Immediately, even before the chief had a chance to draw in a breath, the loaders were bending to pick up another round.

_"Load!_" the man shouted, his voice accented by the thumps of the other two guns firing. Kuruk stood back, working his jaw to pop his ears. The overpressure generated by the firing of the guns was difficult to deal with if one wasn't prepared, and for some reason Kuruk definitely hadn't been that time. He decided there was nothing else for it as he shook his head and prepared for the next salvo.

* * *

"Damage control reports depressurization in the number one fire room. Repair locker six is responding to the casualty."

"Very well."

Lee looked across the bridge at the damage control officer. Not for the first time in his career, he found himself wondering why most of the important officers of the crew were up on the bridge. All it would take was a single well placed shot to cripple most of her command capability.

Inspiration hit him like a mid-winter typhoon. _It couldn't be that simple,_ he asked himself,_ could it? Start an engagement by purposely aiming for the bridge, take out the critical officers. Cut the head off the snake before it has a chance to bite._

"Sounds good in theory," he said to no one in particular. "Wonder how it'll stand up in combat."

Another flash of light lit up the bridge, signaling the departure of another salvo of rounds. Most likely, mount number two was cranking rounds out faster than her sisters, as was typical for any scenario. Number two's chief was uncompromising, pushing his men far beyond what anyone would have believed them capable of.

"Captain, sir," the lee helmsman spoke up, "engine room reports diminished capability, and is ready to answer all bells to two thirds."

"Very well, lee helm. Secure flank. All ahead two thirds."

"Secure flank, all ahead two thirds aye."

A pause.

"Sir, all ahead two thirds indicated and answered for."

"Very well."

Lee zoned out briefly as the talker called in a few more hits, continuing the drill. From what he heard, the fantail had taken a couple hits, a fire was threatening the forward bomb magazine, and the forecastle was completely demolished. Damage control efforts were proceeding admirably, however, showing that the crew was well practiced in drill at least.

"First Lieutenant!" the captain shouted from the opposite side of the bridge, snapping Lee out of his reflections.

"Yes sir!"

"Take the deck and the conn."

"Aye aye, sir," Lee replied mechanically, wondering what it was that the captain was up to. He crossed over to where Yuan was standing, shouting as he went, "this is First Lieutenant Lee, I have the deck and the conn. Belay all reports."

A chorus of ayes followed as every station at the bridge acknowledged the change of command. Lee looked at the chart table, which had small ship markers to signify the forces they were engaging. He knew that the talker would be relaying the fact that he was now in charge of the ship, so he turned to the next order of business.

"Tactical report!"

"Sir," the officer standing at the operations console replied, "we are currently engaged with three Fire Navy cruisers, all to the starboard side. One ship is badly damaged and listing, most likely fatally damaged. The remaining two are maneuvering for a better angle, one potentially to aft to swing around to the port side."

"Monitor that ship and keep me posted. Damage report!"

"Sir," this time the damage control officer spoke up, "the number one fire room is depressurized and out of commission. Repair parties report that the fire near the number one magazine is out, reflash watch has been set. Hull patching teams are repairing holes in the fantail and the fo'c'sle."

"Very well. Engineering report!"

"Sir, engine rooms report the capability to make all ahead two thirds, with emergency capability to run all ahead full."

"Very well."

Lee forced himself to slow down as much as he could afford, to process the entire situation and determine what the best course of action would be. He could almost feel captain Yuan's scrutiny, and wondered again what the old man could possibly be up to. The only time the First Lieutenant would be called on to relieve the captain in a battle situation would be if the captain were killed or incapable of leading anymore.

_Focus,_ he told himself, returning to the immediate problem. Thinking back, he tried to recall everything he could about the Fire Navy cruiser. He knew that his own ship would be able to take a much heavier beating, but he couldn't remember which had a higher speed. If he recalled, the Empire class would do about two knots more at flank speed than a cruiser would, but he didn't have flank capabilities at the moment.

"Sir," the operations officer called out, "the third ship has made her way around aft and is coming up on our port side. Orders, sir?"

Lee thought hard, considering his options.

"Run mount number two to full port, with orders to engage the cruiser approaching on that side."

"Aye aye, sir."

The orders were relayed, and Lee moved over to the tube he would need access to in order to relay orders to the gun crews. While the gunnery officer could find targets and order solutions, only the captain or himself could give a firing order. Even then, Lee could only give the order if the captain was incapacitated.

"Attention all mounts, this is the First Lieutenant. I have the deck and the conn. Mounts one and three, you are ordered to engage the Fire Navy cruiser to starboard. Mount number two, you are ordered to run out to port and engage the cruiser approaching on the port side. Your firing orders are four rounds, salvo fire. Aim for the enemy ship's command tower. Fire when ready."

Lee hoped his reasoning behind the call was sound. He knew that the crew on mount two was the fastest he had, and he was banking on them to put out as heavy of a volume of fire as the other two would be able to on the opposite side. Muffled _whumps_ and flashes of light announced that the gunners had their solutions.

"Lee helmsman, all ahead full."

"All ahead full aye," the lee helmsman said hesitantly, as if he wanted to remind him of the condition the engine rooms were in. He said nothing else, however, and spoke up when the engines met the request.

"All ahead full, indicated and answered for."

"Sir, engineering reports that they will not be able to keep up full speed for very long on the load of steam they have."

"Very well. And your concern is noted, engineering. Tactical report!"

"Sir, the cruiser to the port side has suffered a direct hit to their bridge and is in an uncontrolled turn to port. They're out of the fight. The cruiser to starboard is still engaged."

"Very well. Order number two run back out to starboard with orders to continue their salvo once on target."

"Sir, engineering reports that steam load is down, and engines can only answer for all ahead one third."

"Very well," Lee said, biting back a curse. The decision to try to sprint had been stupid. _As the old navy saying goes, stupid will be punished._

"Sir, repair party reports a hit to the number two gun mount. The crew is out of action."

"Very well. Tactical report!"

"Sir, the final cruiser engaged is hit badly and trailing smoke. Lookout reports a list to starboard."

Captain Yuan stepped forward at that point, apparently satisfied with the way the drill had been conducted.

"The enemy cruiser has struck their ensign in surrender. This is the Captain. I have the deck and the conn. Belay all reports."

There was a hushed cheer that went around the bridge at the "victory," and Lee breathed a slight sigh of relief. The captain was smiling reassuringly at him, saying wordlessly that he'd done fairly well for himself.

"Damage control, get these casualties wrapped up so we can secure from general quarters. The crew's done well today, but I'm not going to leave anything halfway done."

"Aye aye, sir."

* * *

The sun had just gone down when Lee received an invitation to join the captain in his quarters. He wondered at what the occasion could be while he squared his appearance away. Just before leaving, he stopped and looked at the gift that Qiao had given him before they'd gotten underway, almost a week before. The simple package had been a portrait of the young governor, along with a note telling him that every sailor deserved to have a picture of the woman that they were fighting for to look at while they were away. He smiled at it before leaving his room and heading upstairs.

The captain's main cabin was located at the base of the command tower. He also had a smaller stateroom near the bridge that he slept in while the ship was underway so he would always be near if they needed him. While the "at sea" cabin was primitive and small, much like Lee's own stateroom, the main cabin was spacious, with a dining table that could seat twelve people comfortably that was often used for meetings or special meals for visiting guests.

Yuan's personal steward and cook met him at the door, saluting and bowing with a flourish.

"Good evening, First Lieutenant. The captain had to step out to the bridge for a moment, but he asked that you make yourself comfortable. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine for the moment."

The steward saluted and bowed again before returning to the small galley used solely for the skipper. Lee made his way into the interior of the cabin, noting how empty it looked without the Fire Nation insignia plastered all over everything. For the moment, the walls were simply bare steel, lit in places by the red oil lanterns. Lee took his the first seat to the right of the head of the table, the customary location for the most senior officer present when dining or meeting with the captain.

A few minutes later, a watertight door screeched, signaling the arrival of the captain. Lee stood up, and noticed that the steward had practically run out of the galley to stand by in case the old man needed anything. Yuan walked in rubbing his head and sighing, but still exuded the usual air of authority he had whenever he roamed the deck plates.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" the steward asked, performing an even more elaborate salute for the captain than he had for Lee. If that was even possible.

"Yes, actually. Brew up a pot of tea for the First Lieutenant and myself, if you would be so kind."

Yuan looked over at the table and smiled slightly.

"Go ahead and sit down Lieutenant. I'll join you momentarily."

Lee nodded and took his seat. Ordinarily, he would have saluted, but he knew that Yuan absolutely hated to be saluted in his own quarters. That he tolerated it from his steward was remarkable, but he understood the young man's need for formality. Most enlisted men refused to get too familiar with the officers for fear of what happened to the men accused of fraternization.

Captain Yuan stepped back out a moment later and walked over to take his seat.

"So, in your opinion based on the drills we've been conducting, do you think the crew is ready for battle?"

Lee thought about the question for a moment. They'd lost just under half their complement when the announcement about the revolution had been made. As a result, they'd been forced to integrate crews from the CDF into their own, in order to get them back up to the proper manning levels. The defense force crews were well trained men, but unfortunately they still required a lot of bringing up to speed.

"Overall, sir," Lee replied, "I think we're about as ready as we're going to get. The only way to really see if the crew is going to be ready is to actually get into a fight."

"Understandable, I guess."

The steward arrived with the pot of tea, along with a pair of small ceramic cups. Lee allowed Yuan to pour himself a cup before doing so himself. The tea was strong, the way most Naval officers preferred it, but the steward always found a way to introduce a slight amount of sweetness to it, making it a delightful beverage to partake in.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Lieutenant," the captain said after a few short sips, "what inspired you to order the gunners to target the enemy command towers during the exercise today?"

"Just an idea I had, sir. Take out the enemy bridge, where all the important officers are, and you cripple the ship's ability to make tactical decisions. Not to mention, you momentarily interrupt her steerage."

Yuan scratched his chin thoughtfully. If Lee was any judge of how the captain reacted to things, he would have said that the man was impressed with the idea he'd had.

"Brilliantly resourceful, Lieutenant. That's the type of thinking we need in a naval officer. I suppose you're wondering why I put you in command today, however."

"Yes, sir."

"It's a simple thing, really. You're going to be a captain someday, Lieutenant. That's a given. You're a good man and a fine officer. Whether you'll command this tub has yet to be seen, but you will receive a ship of your own. I put you in command today to see how you'd handle the pressure. It's not a battle by any stretch, but every man has to start somewhere."

"I see. Well, thank you sir. That means a lot to me."

"Don't get all choked up on me, Lieutenant. I'm just telling you how I see it. Also, I trust you're aware of the date?"

"Yes sir."

"The deadline is tonight, which means that tomorrow Commander Long will be sailing for us. The council should be sending out the declaration tomorrow morning."

"I guess this is it, then. We're going to be at war with our mother country tomorrow."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Really short chapter here, but this is the best way I could fit it into the story. The North Sea Declaration is really the U.S. Declaration of Independence, cut down and changed in a few relevant areas/modernized a bit. Overall, none of it is really my intellectual property.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Avatar Franchise. Additionally, all material related to the declaration of independence was obtained from public domain records and altered to suit my purpose. Aside from those slight alterations, the Declaration is the intellectual property of the United States Government, and I make no effort to claim it as my own.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Suki walked slowly towards the Fire Lord's small office. She had a letter, freshly delivered by messenger hawk that morning, from the some group calling themselves the Federation Council. She admitted that she didn't know too much about the state of affairs in the Fire Nation colonies, but she had a sinking suspicion that whatever was contained in the message was something that Zuko wouldn't like too much. The insignia on the message was unfamiliar to her as well. It was five red stars, arranged in a small circle on a field of blue.

She hesitated at the entrance to the small room, silently scolding herself for being so worried to do something as simple as deliver a message. After all, while Azula had been well known for banishing the messenger, Zuko had a much more even temper. She took a nervous breath and stepped through the curtain. The Fire Lord looked up from his desk.

"Suki," he said, confusion tinting his voice slightly, "is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," she replied, "I just have a message for you."

"A message? I haven't been expecting any messages. Who is it from?"

He stood up and reached out. Suki crossed the small room and handed it to him before stepping back and admiring the large map of the world on the wall behind him.

"A Federation Council, whoever that happens to be."

She noticed a faint trace of a scowl cross his face, but otherwise he did a fairly good job of masking his emotion. As he broke the seal on the message and began reading it, however, the mask slowly cracked. Suki felt the room begin to heat up as the candles on his desk flared, the flames rising higher with every breath the Fire Lord took.

"Has a copy of this been sent to Commander Long?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I believe so."

"Good. Send word to him that his entire fleet is to get underway for the North Sea colonies, with orders to burn Captain Yuan's pathetic fleet and bring me all of these traitors. But first, I think you should hear this."

Zuko stood up, and began to pace the room as he read aloud.

"The unanimous declaration of the Federation of North Sea Islands.

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to assure their safety and happiness. Prudence will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience has shown, that mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government."

Commander Long looked up from the message, pausing to make eye contact with every one of the captains that were seated around the table.

"This is what we're dealing with men," he said, "this is what we sail today to take on."

The order had come in an hour before, hand delivered by one of the Kyoshi warriors. Long was taking this last opportunity to address his captains personally before they sailed, as he knew that they would likely not get another opportunity to meet like this again.

With a deep breath, he continued reading.

"A ruling family whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to rule a free people."

Lieutenant Lee paused for a moment, letting those words echo through the speaking tube for a moment. All around the ship, everyone had stopped what they were doing to hear the announcement. Deck seamen had stopped painting. The cooks in the galley halted the serving line, and the mess decks were completely silent for the first time in memory. Even the men in the fire room and the engine rooms had ceased work. The entire ship stood still, as Lee was sure that the rest of the ships in the fleet were standing still also. He looked around, noticing that several men on the bridge were tearing up. Not the least among them was Captain Yuan.

"We, therefore, the representatives of the Federation of North Sea Islands, assembled, appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the Fire Lord, and that all political connections between them and the Fire Nation are and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to declare war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."


End file.
